Starting very soon, technicians will be forced into different roles. The reason being, following the recent line shutdowns and operator lay-offs, there are too many techs. On the other hand, Abbott has a massive shortage of engineering/project based staff due to the excessively high attrition rate over the years. So the techs will be made to take these horrible jobs, usually meaning an immediate loss of shift rate (at least 20%), put on salary where they will be expected to work at least 50 hour weeks, not get paid overtime, be forced to complete endless project after project before possibly getting sick of it and quitting. Just like so many engineers before them. The sickening thing is that Abbott HOPES for them to quit so they will a) not need to pay any severance package and b) avoid bad publicity in the media. Disgusting company that has gone downhill MASSIVELY in the last few years, coinciding with Mr C's arrival in the mid 2000's. During the boom years when staff was scarce, this place couldn't do enough for you. Now that the country's doomed, Abbott is capatalising on this and trying to force people out the door without needing to pay them off. It says a lot when the only new engineers hired in the last 3 or 4 years have been grads straight out of college with no experience. Nobody internally or external people with experience will touch the place. And even then, the college grads are only staying for a year or two to gain experience before leaving. I assume they leave to go work for a company that respects people. In fact, I think the longest serving DES engineer is there about 2 years and in a large department that's been in service over 10 years, that's shocking. Make NO mistake, their propaganda aside, Abbott Clonmel is there to pump out numbers first and foremost. Quality is secondary. I hope for redundancy but honestly believe it will never happen for non-production staff and people will just continually leave with nothing, but broken and dis-spirited, much to the delight of the elite in-human robots at the top of the chain. RIP Abbott. ps. everything mentioned above that people setting fire to toilets, sh!tting in urinals and leaving sh!t on the cleanroom floor, is actual true. You have to ask yourself what kind of company drives their employees to such strange lengths?
With this movement of tech's, all that is going to happen is that the remaining people will be over stretched. Leading to more pressure and stress on these people. This the Abbott culture, which is based on fear and total disrespect towards it's people.
Sorry, correct me if im wrong but if you were hired as an qe/me tech etc. how can they force you to work on op position and reduce your wages? If your position is reduced they need to offer you package or new position...your choice, am i right?
No, they wouldn't make you an Op, they'd either move you onto projects while remaining as a tech or "promote" you to be an Engineer. Abbott is the only pharma company I know where nobody wants an engineer's role as it's considered a poison chalice. In either case, your base pay wouldn't be affected but they may decide to take you off shift to suit "company needs". The 6% raise to become an engineer wouldn't come close to making up for your 14% (at least) shortfall from your regular shift (20%+) being taken from you. Add the fact that you will not be paid for overtime (as you will be on salary) yet expected to work well beyond your average 39 hour week. In quite a few cases, engineers were expected on site all weekend to implement line moves etc. All major hassle for no extra pay. As for the 11-hour rest rule? Ha! Some staff members feel obliged to clock out at a certain time in the evening before returning to their desks to work a few more hours so they won't break the 11-hour rule when they come back in the following morning, having minimal rest. Management knows they are doing this but turn a blind eye. Forced attrition is the main goal for Abbott in Clonmel this year when it comes to indirect staff, as a cost-cutting measure. Employees don't count.
Stent -............. $50 Catheter-.......... $100 The look on MW's face when he reads about sh*t in the cleanroom, and a fire in the shit*ter.-........... Priceless.
I come from former Soviet Union to Abbott in Clonmel for working as operator. I think it will be new life for me and my wife, but I am told by supervisor that unless I work compulsory overtime I will go back to Latvia. Also I must lie to audit person and say everything is good here. It is not good here.
The way supervisor's treat people in this place let's a lot to be desired. I have never come across a place were intimidation is a accepted practice.
I heard that too. DES line 4 is what I heard. Disgraceful, but normal for Abbott, if it's true. Remember theDES supervisor who tried to insist on a doctors letter if you wanted to take a piss outside of your break times? Is he still around?
He quit a few years ago for a different job, and of course, Abbott tried to keep him as he was the exact dictator type they were looking for. They offered him 6 months leave of absence when he left so basically he could walk back in to his job if he wanted to. Didn't he also want the female operators to let him know their menstrual cycle in advance so he could tell if they really needed to leave the line for a genuine reason or not? He was complained to Abbott but wasn't disciplined.
It says a lot when regular CLN employees are by-passing HR in Clonmel and going straight on the phone to HR in Sligo. I certainly don't trust HR here. How can you? Their offices are in amongst the elite and they sit/dine with them at breaks. They are simply there to do the bidding of the leaders while giving false hope to the ground troops that they matter. Rules appear to be made up on the spot. Mention the word "solicitor" to them though, and they backtrack immediately I'm not a massive fan of trade unions as I think they go far to the other side and can cripple a business, but AV Clonmel is crying out for a union. "Sure, aren't you lucky to have a job!?" it's not China we're living in, ffs! Ireland is a western first world country. We seriously need to remember that!
HR, for a group which should be impartial, when it comes to everything and everyone. This is not seen in there approach to workers here. No wonder they as a group have such a bad name and reputation. That's why more and more are turning to Sligo HR.
If you do have reason to visit HR in Clonmel, be sure to bring a copy of "Hello" or "Vogue", that'll get their attention. Time to unite I think. http://www.ictu.ie/
Also me, I come from Poland to work hard for family good life but I come home to my wife very angry from Abbott working. Every day is bully bully bully and threaten threaten threaten. Life was much better in ceramics factory in Warsawa.
Working in Abbott is like standing on broken glass, if you stay you will keep hurting... If u walk away, you will hurt but eventually u will heal.
^ Ah, you're definitely from HR alright... Fun quote of the day: "Irish law doesn't really apply to us"... that was actually said by a HR rep to an operator who'd just been sacked, in reply when she threatened to contact NERA. Arbeit macht eine stunde incentive am Freitag!!
