The Vita Cortex workers have acknowledged an acceptance by the company's owners to finally engage in meaningful talks aimed a reaching a just conclusion to the long running dispute.

Responding to a press statement released by a public relations company on behalf of the Vita Cortex owners, SIPTU Organiser Anne Egar, said: "SIPTU acknowledges the Vita Cortex owners call for 'meaningful talks' and would engage in such negotiations on the basis that they are aimed at concluding a just settlement to this dispute.

"It has been the clear position from the start of this dispute that the workers are seeking the ex-gratia payment of 0.9 of a week per year of service which has been the agreed redundancy terms for Vita Cortex workers for a number of years. SIPTU is unequivocal in restating, on the behalf of the workers currently involved in this dispute who are represented by the union, that the owners of Vita Cortex must make this payment in full. The amount outstanding is just over €370,000, a sum which it has been clearly demonstrated can be raised by the owners of Vita Cortex.

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"In their statement the Vita Cortex owners have once against attempted to muddy the waters by falsely claiming they had never agreed to an ex-gratia redundancy payment of 0.9 of a week per year of service. This claim has been categorically refuted on a number of occasions. SIPTU in response simply states that this was always the sum that was in dispute and was the basis of negotiations by Vita Cortex and IBEC executives with the union, the Labour Relations Commission and NAMA."

(MM)