Mandate supports Vita Cortex workers sit-in in their bid for redundancy payments
Wednesday 25 January 2012Mandate Trade Union are joining other unions by showing their support for the Vita Cortex workers who have staged a five-week sit-in, in their bid for proper redundancy payments.
Nine days before Christmas 32 workers were made redundant by Vita Cortex. The company said that it could not afford to give them the agreed redundancy payments. Vita Cortex employees have spent their Christmas and New Years at the plant and have maintained their sit-in since December 16th.
On January 12th more than 300 supporters who back their campaign to win redundancy payments joined fourteen Vita Cortex workers in a demonstration outside Dáil Eireann. During the Dáil demonstration 18 workers continued the sit-in at the Vita Cortex plant at Kinsale Road, Cork.
The demonstration was organised by SIPTU and was supported by other unions including Mandate, Unite, the Communications Workers Union and the TEEU.
The workers also recently received a letter of support from former president and international human rights champion Mary Robinson who sent a message of support to the 32 Vita Cortex workers in their bid for proper redundancy payments.
She stated “As a former president I believe it is not appropriate for me to interfere in national legal issues except in my capacity as a member of the Council of State. At the same time, I have always supported the right of workers to be treated fairly. I sympathise with your desire and that of your co-workers to get a fair deal.
“I hope that the negotiations under the auspices of the Labour Relations Commission will result in an equitable resolution.”
The Labour Relations Commission (LRC) continues to lead conciliation talks in an attempt to break the deadlock over redundancy payments.
The struggle of the Vita Cortex workers to secure their redundancy is a cause which Mandate supports and we ask that our members also support these workers rights.
