In pictures: Unite rally attracts large crowd in Portadown as Glen Dimplex workers to be balloted on strike action

A large crowd of Glen Dimplex workers, family members and the public attended a Unite rally in Portadown town centre on Friday afternoon.

The emergency rally was in protest against the proposed closure of the Portadown factory but also in defence of manufacturing jobs and skills in the Upper Bann area.

Unite said the rally was called to demand action from politicians ahead of the general election.

Solidarity greetings were read out at the rally from Unite general secretary Sharon Graham who said: “The workforce at Glen Dimplex is being balloted for strike action to save their jobs.

"The closure threat at Glen Dimplex is only the latest in a series of job loss blows to the local economy - a key industrial hub. The workers demand an end to offshoring and the race-to-the-bottom on workers’ pay, terms and conditions.

"Unite will fully support these workers in their fight to save their livelihoods and the future of this profitable site.”

Susan Fitzgerald, regional secretary of Unite, addressed the workforce.

“The Glen Dimplex workforce is highly experienced with the skills needed for a just transition to a greener future where homes and workplaces are heated renewably,” she said.

"We are balloting our members on strike action to defend jobs and skills for the future. But we also demand action from the politicians. We need to see politicians get behind the workers’ plan to safeguard these jobs.”

Among those who attended were Upper Bann Westminster candidates, Carla Lockhart (DUP) and Eoin Tennyson (Alliance Party) and Councillor Paul Duffy of Sinn Fein.