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Newry and Armagh MLA Liz Kimmins has called on Haldane Fisher management to engage with workers and their representatives as strike action at the Haldane Fisher facility at Carnbane in Newry enters its third week. Kimmins made the call after visiting the picket line alongside party colleague Dáire Hughes MP.
Kimmins said strike action is always a last resort and is not a decision taken lightly by workers. She said the fact that staff have been forced to take this step highlights the seriousness of their concerns, particularly at a time when families are under increasing pressure from the rising cost of living.
She said that as industrial action enters its third week, it is long past time for senior management in Haldane Fisher to engage constructively with workers and their union, adding that they should be round the negotiating table, working to deliver the fair pay and conditions these workers rightfully deserve.
Kimmins said the situation underscores the importance of robust workers' rights in securing better pay and conditions, and that it shows why Sinn Féin's Good Jobs Bill is so important and why attempts to block it are so destructive.
Hughes said workers want a fair resolution to the industrial action and are eager to engage constructively with the company to resolve issues and get back to work. He encouraged Haldane Fisher to engage seriously with workers and their union representatives as soon as possible.
Addition 6/7/26
Haldane Fisher have released a statement commenting on current strike action taking place at the Carnbane business in which they say they want to correct the public record on the industrial action which has been taking place at the Newry headquarters of the business.
"Haldane Fisher wishes to correct several inaccurate claims made publicly about industrial action at its Newry (Carnbane) facility, and to set out an accurate factual record.
Claim: The company refused to engage.
Unite served notice of an industrial action ballot on 6 May, before any discussions had taken place. When the ballot result was issued on 3 June, the company engaged the Labour Relations Agency, attended scheduled talks on 8 June, and has continued discussions with colleagues' representatives since.
Claim: A 2.5% pay increase was imposed.
The 2.5% group wide pay increase was applied solely to avoid financially disadvantaging the colleagues Unite represents while matters remained unresolved, a position that arose because the pay claim was submitted late. The company confirmed in writing at the time that the matter remained open to negotiation with Unite.
On 29 June, company representatives met with Unite and tabled a fair, improved offer in line with the current rate of inflation. This was rejected by the union.
Claim: Pay has fallen behind inflation.
We recognise the real pressure inflation places on households. Since 2021, Haldane Fisher operational colleagues have received cumulative pay increases 7% above inflation. However, the sector has moved into a cost-of-doing-business crisis, and any settlement must be sustainable to protect jobs and colleagues' long-term security.
On public comment
The company is disappointed that elected political representatives have commented publicly and, in some cases, visited the picket line without first seeking its position or establishing the facts. A fair resolution is not helped by one side being given a public platform before the facts are established."
A Haldane Fisher spokesperson added: “We sought independent help before any strike, we attended the table, and our door remains open. Our focus is a fair resolution and the protection of jobs for all our colleagues.”
