UNITE food workers union will hold a protest outside Larry Goodman’s factory, AIBP in Clones, tomorrow afternoon, Friday 8 February.

The union has called the public protest in a bid to highlight what they believe to be “exploitation of migrant workers” at the company’s new boning hall. The protest is expected to draw support from local union, community and political representatives throughout Monaghan and beyond.

Jim Quinn, Team Leader with the Organising Department of UNITE said: “We have an example here of a bullying employer who is trying to stop his workers being members of a union who will stop him from exploiting them.

“Larry Goodman and AIBP have been stung by a highly affective organising campaign which our union has been running throughout the country with red meat workers both local and migrant. That campaign has highlighted a situation where workers doing exactly the same job in Goodman plants in Newry, Lurgan and Clones are being paid different rates of pay.”

AIBP recently opened the new boning hall as part of an overall €10 million investment in the Teehill plant which created an additional 120 jobs. AIBP has initially employed 62 new staff and plan to increase this figure to120 by August .

“The protest at AIBP Clones on Friday is only the start of a campaign to stop Goodman and AIBP from exploiting workers. We will be raising our concerns about his behaviour with the Irish Congress of Trade Unions next week. We will also be contacting the Ethical Trading Initiative to report AIBP’s activities and advise them which Supermarkets are supplied by AIBP.

“We are determined that these workers will be allowed to organise themselves in a trade union and bring an end to their exploitation. Goodman or AIBP will not be allowed to stop us,” Mr Quinn added.