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FORMER WORKERS AT the Vita Cortex plant in Cork have begun receiving their redundancy payments and could now leave the factory after a six month sit-in as early as today.
A spokeswoman for SIPTU has confirmed that the company owner Jack Ronan has begun transferring money into the workers’ bank accounts.
Some of the workers have already received payment but the 32 men and women at the factory on the Kinsale Road intend to leave together when they have all been paid.
SIPTU spokeswoman Anne Egar told TheJournal.ie: “The workers expect to leave this week. The company have told me we can have copies of electronic transfer receipts but the workers don’t mind waiting. Two more days isn’t going to perturb them.”
Egar added that she expected that all workers will have received payments by tomorrow but if not by then almost certainly by the end of the week.
A deal was struck between the foam manufacturing plant owner, Ronan, and workers earlier this month following a dispute over redundancy payments which led the workers to begin staging a sit-in at the plant in December after it had been closed down.
Their cause earned worldwide support including from the likes of Noam Chomsky and Sir Alex Ferguson.
On day 139 of the sit-in a resolution was found but the former workers have continued to occupy the plant until they have all received their redundancy payments.
This morning, the workers’ Twitter account tweeted: “Day 159…. it seems the end is in sight… It has been a long road but you all know that, you walked it with us.”
Congratulations to these brave workers. This is what happens when you fight your corner. This is the attitude desperately needed in Dail Eireann in the face of eu hegemony.
Pity it took so long to get what they deserved
Fight your corner !!! What happens when your company is liquidated and you just have to wait tell they get around to paying it, unless you work in a top company or institute in the country and the Minister for silly voices tells you she will do everything she can to give you your redundancy as soon as possibly. You lucky if you have that corner to fight .
I wish I could offer them congratulations, but as someone waiting for a redundancy payment from the Social Fund since last August, I can’t. They have been waiting only since the New Year. What makes them so special that they can skip the queue like that?
@John So long? They got their redundancy payment way ahead of those who have been waiting a lot longer than them.
Now those guys deserve huge credit. As you said William, if a few politicians and Yes campaigners had half the backbone they do, we’d be in a much better place!
im glad your perservance paid off at last!!!!!!!
Tom I know exactly were your coming from, I’m only waiting since January myself and I’m pissed off cause I have to wait on social fund as well but I can only imagine how you feel hopefully you get it soon
“It is not those who can inflict the most, but those that can suffer the most who will Prevail”.
Cork Lord Mayor and Sinn Féin TD for MidCork who died on hunger strike in 1920.
Great to see that the fight in Cork bellies has not been extinguished.
Terence McSweeney.
Disgusting the way these people were treated and its beggars belief the owner was not jailed or hauled before the courts. Whilst a victory for the workers it is sadly a hollow one given they had to endure 159 days of appalling treatment and in the end they did not recieve their full entitlements. Sadly and in some respects its a victory for the business owner and I predict this chancer is not finished yet, no doubt he will put a final spanner in the works.
Congratulations to all of you. I hope your future will be bright and positive. One bit of advice for all of you. If it was a cheque that was lodged to all of your accounts from Mr. Ronan, withdraw it immeidately and move to another account. Quick before it bounces on all of you and you have left the building. I’m not saying that it’s going to happen, I assume it won’t but be weary.
Best of luck.
The directors should be up in court if there weren’t so many loopholes in corporate law they would be,common thieves,sad to see the workers had to compromise on their entitlements ,the final insult but glad to see they had the moral integrity to stand up and the support of all fair minded people in the nation and beyond,keepin her lit in new York city.
Ronan should have been punished for what he did to the Vita Cortex workers. At the very least a financial punishment should have been imposed.
He is a bad bad man.
The people hold the power. They just need to stop watching x-factor.
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