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ON THE 99TH day of protests, workers at Vita Cortex have accepted a Labour Relations Commission proposal for both sides to enter a mediation process.
The Director of Conciliation Services at the LRC, Kevin Foley, has asked both parties in the dispute to engage in “meaningful negotiations”.
In a letter sent to both the 32 workers’ union Siptu and the employer’s representative Ibec, Foley said, “Whilst the stated position of the parties seems intractable, bot parties have stated publicly that they are committed to exploring all meaningful efforts to resolve the dispute.”
I therefore believe that further meaningful engagement can take place at this time through a process of mediation to be put in place which would attempt to find a basis for resolution of the dispute, including if necessary giving guidance as to how the dispute should be finally resolved.
Workers at the Cork plant are to mark their 100th protest day tomorrow at their sit-in at the former foam manufacturing facility on the Kinsale Road in Cork.
SIPTU Organiser Anne Egar said, “If this proposal from the LRC is accepted by the owners of Vita Cortex it could be the first stage in a process that can lead to the resolution of this long running dispute. If the public statements by the owners of Vita Cortex calling for meaningful negotiations are to be credible then a just resolution to the dispute is achievable and these brave workers can finally return to their homes and families.”
However, she warned that workers are adamant that the dispute will continue until a “just resolution” is secured. They are seeking redundancy payments of 0.9 weeks per year of service, on top of their statutory entitlements – a deal they say is equivalent to payments made to workers who left the company in 2009 and 2010.
The workers have received pledges of support from a number of public figures including Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson, former Irish international footballer Paul McGrath, actor Cillian Murphy and scholar Noam Chomsky.
Earlier this week, Chomskey reiterated his support “for the struggle” in an online message “for everyone who looks forward for a better world”.
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Yes I agree. Whatever they need to defend themselves should be supplied and quickly
Very well written and informative
Insights From Ukraine and Russia on YouTube has intercepted phonecalls from Russian soldiers to family members on what’s really going on there, can’t do link but their families are urging them to come home now.
@Ian O’Donovan: Give us a channel name if you have one Ian, please
@Burt Macklin: Search for “Insights from Ukraine and Russia.”
Will the west and in particular nato keep supplying Kiev with heavy weapons and equipment for a long and grinding war, if they don’t surely putin knows he has the advantage then to push on further
Ukraine will be pressed to cede the Donbas in the short-term by the West. This will be in exchange for the promise of a ‘death by 1000 cuts’ campaign against Russia that may take 10 years + but with the eventual promise of the return to ’91 borders. We are at the beginning of Cold War 2
Tom what is your opinion on the following: Putin and Russia lack a tactical sea port to house it’s navy on the European ‘front’. By annexing Crimea and taking control of Donbas over to Odessa, he will have gained control of most of the black sea and the safe port of the sea of azov with his allie, Turkey to the south.This would give them access to the Aegean sea/ Greece and then the med. That is what he is after. The rest of Ukraine is a red herring. If it is true that Russia is struggling, now is the time to defend Odessa across to Kherson and try and regain Crimea by flooding that area with arms, even if that means forsaking the north Donbas area. Denying Russia an naval base in that area is crucial for the future. If Putin gains that area now, Russia will never give it up.
@Barrycelona: Turkey are in NATO dont forget. One could argue how committed they are but I believe they see themselves better served being aligned to the West. They also control the bosphorus access to the Med from the Black Sea
@SquideyeMagpie: You are right but I reckon Turkey or should I say Erdogan will suit themselves. Istanbul sits at the entrance and that vulnerability could be a reason for a deal between the two of them
3 military analysts worth their weight in gold, Wesley Clarke, David Petraeus and Tom Clonan.
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