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David Begg of ICTU has said that the workers were treated "shamefully" Eamonn Farrell/Photocall Ireland

Vita Cortex sit-in enters its tenth day - with no end in sight

A SIPTU delegation visited the 32 workers today, who are fighting to get redundancy payments from the company.

STAFF AT THE Vita Cortex company are continuing their sit-in at the Cork plant – with no end in sight.

A SIPTU delegation visited the plant today to support the 32 workers who are fighting to secure outstanding redundancy payments.

Vita Cortex, which manufactures packaging, closed its plant on Kinsale Road in Cork ten days ago on Friday 16 December. 32 workers at the company were told they would not be receiving any redundancy payments – and have been holding a sit-in at the company ever since.

SIPTU organiser Paul Bell, who led the union delegation to the plant today, described the situation as a “gross injustice” for the workers, “perpetrated upon them by an employer who has demonstrated an overt disregard for the loyalty of his employees”.

The morale of the workers in the plant remains high having received support from their local community, across Cork, and the country, Bell said.

“However it is extremely important for the Government to take the necessary steps to ensure that these workers and their families are not forced into a marathon struggled to obtain a realistic redundancy settlement”.

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions has also pledged its support to the workers, with Congress General Secretary David Begg saying that the 32 workers had been treated “shamefully”

Begg said that the workers had shown “great courage and determination in very difficult circumstances”.

“The Government cannot simply stand by and wring its hands in despair. Like it or not, they are involved because of the role played by NAMA in this often murky affair,” said Begg, adding:

This is wrong, no matter how you dress it up.

“Citing legal niceties and technicalities just won’t cut it. Remember NAMA is the same body that sees no difficulty in paying hundreds of thousands of euro annually to speculators who were central to crashing the economy, while 32 workers are denied what they are legally and morally entitled to”.

RTE reported that the workers were offered €1,500 each from the company just before Christmas Day – an offer which was described as insulting.

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11 Comments
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    Mute Alex French
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    Dec 27th 2011, 7:37 PM

    Let’s not forget that David Begg sat on the board of the Central Bank during the worst of the banking decisions that created this crisis. How much was his annual fee?

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    Mute Leah O Reilly
    Favourite Leah O Reilly
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    Dec 27th 2011, 7:35 PM

    Thank-you to the unions for backing these innocent hard working people ,millionaires robbing them blind to line their own pockets,shameful and evil don’t know hoe these people sleep at night,all support to the workers from new York,were all behind Ye,it cld be any one of us.

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    Mute David Higgins
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    Dec 27th 2011, 8:21 PM

    David Begg using the word shameful made me laugh :D

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    Mute Michael Hegarty
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    Dec 28th 2011, 3:53 AM

    As a Fine Gaeler, you’d know alot about being Shameful, I jest!!!

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    Mute Paraic Simpson
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    Dec 27th 2011, 7:31 PM

    Power to the people.

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    Mute Frank2521
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    Dec 27th 2011, 10:14 PM

    The Union Executives are the highest paid people in the country when you take in their fees for sitting on boards and the expenses claimed.
    One newspaper estimated that the the heads of the top 2 unions was each earning 300,000 Euro from all their sources of income and their pension plans. They are index linked to the civil service.
    Champaign socialists. If people are taken in by Begg and O Connor then God help them. They feed off people like the now jobless workers to push their own agenda which is greed and more state appointments.

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    Mute Paddy Murray
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    Dec 28th 2011, 1:01 AM

    Cortex has been in trouble for some time. This was on the cards for the last couple of years.
    There are fabulous people employed there but if they government force the payment then they open the flood gates on a lot more claims.
    I really do hope they get there money but I can’t see it happening very soon.

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    Mute Bernadette Kearney Moloney
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    Dec 28th 2011, 3:46 PM

    These workers have been treated abominably, why shouldn’t they get the money they are entitled to….Shame on the Government (again I say we voted for change but we got the very exact same….same policies different faces delivering them…..no thought for the people of this country) and as for NAMA my god what a laugh….pay the developers 200,000 plus and nothing for decent hardworking people who have given their working lives to this company. Disgraceful!

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    Mute Innishvilla
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    Dec 28th 2011, 11:52 AM

    Oh no a bearded unionist gets involved.

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    Mute mike
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    Dec 31st 2011, 8:49 AM

    The worker are now on twitter @vcortexworkers as well as facebook

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    Mute Ardo Ci
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    Dec 28th 2011, 10:01 AM

    This company’s behaviour towards its workers as well as the government’s involvement through various channels and time perfectly sums up Ireland 2011 – cavalier and couldn’t care less.

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