Statutory payouts for Vita Cortex staff

WORKERS OCCUPYING the Vita Cortex plant in Cork will receive their statutory redundancy next Monday, Taoiseach Enda Kenny has said.

“I feel for the workers,” said Mr Kenny.

He said he understood from the Labour Relations Commission (LRC) that the solicitors acting on the company’s behalf had in recent days written to Siptu indicating it might look at the question of taking out an injunction against the workers who continued to occupy the factory.

He intended giving a written report to the LRC following his recent meeting with them and their trade union representatives.

The Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement, he said, had informed Minister for Jobs Richard Bruton that there were insufficient grounds to take action against the company.

Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin said there was cross-party agreement that the workers had been treated in an appalling manner by their employer.

In total, they had given Vita Cortex over 847 years of loyal service, but they had been bluntly informed in December that they would not be receiving ex gratia redundancy payments.

This was despite the fact that they had been promised such payments in September, he added.

The workers, said Mr Martin, had been involved in a sit-in at the plant since December 16th.

“The net amount outstanding at this stage is approximately €372,000,” he added.

“If this money was paid, the matter would be resolved.” Mr Martin said he accepted that there were complications in the relationship involving the company, its owner and Nama. “It is clear, however, that moral responsibility lies with the owner,” he added.

“I am sure everyone would agree with me in that regard.”

Mr Martin suggested that Mr Kenny or Mr Bruton should consider meeting the company’s owner to convey the Oireachtas’s view that the behaviour engaged in up to now was unacceptable.