Vita Cortex worker Helen Crowley, who worked for the company for over 26 years, told Late Late Show host, Ryan Tubridy, that she had taken part in the sit-in throughout the festive period and "didn't think at this hour of my life I would be sleeping on the factory floor".
However, the workers said they had no option but to undertake the sit-in in order to secure their agreed redundancy payments. According to Jim Power, a Vita Cortex employee for over 42 years, they had been made "feel like 32 fools" by the company management and owner Jack Ronan. The workers were led to believe that monies would be made available to meet their redundancy payments from another Vita Cortex account under the control of the National Assets Management Agency.
-- Advertisement --
"From the 16th September we were being told work away with full co-operation and the money would be there on the 16th December when we were leaving. In the meantime we were being shown memos that were supposed to have been sent to NAMA and memos that were supposed to come from NAMA. On the 9th December we were told to bring over bank account details because the money was being posted directly from NAMA into our bank accounts. On the 14th December we were told there was no money there," Mr Power added.
The Vita Cortex workers, whose sit-in at the company's facility in the Kinsale Road in Cork is in its fourth week, are seeking payment of an agreed redundancy package of 2.9 weeks per year of service. The full amount needed to fund the redundancies is just over €1.2 million and because the plant’s closure predates the last budget the State will pay 60% of that amount.
For further information visit: Vita Cortex 'Inability To Pay' Claim Must Be Assessed
