COCA-COLA workers took their protest into Cork city centre yesterday to highlight their fight for a new redundancy package.
The workers, who are in their ninth week of official dispute over plans by Coca-Cola HBC Ireland to outsource 130 jobs nationwide, attracted a lot of public sympathy outside Dunnes Stores on Patrick Street.
Around 130 staff in Dublin, Galway, Waterford, Tipperary and Cork are to be affected by plans by Coca-Cola HBC Ireland to outsource jobs in its warehousing and distribution centres.
The 30 workers from the Coca-Cola distribution centre on the Carrigrohane Road in Cork intend to move their dispute from supermarket to supermarket in the city over this week.
Speaking yesterday, Siptu shop steward Noel Hartnett said: “We have had to escalate our dispute this morning to let the public know what’s going on. A lot of people think we’re fighting for our jobs, but our jobs are gone and we are fighting for a fair redundancy package.”
He added that the company was still refusing to recognise the recommendations of the Labour Court.
The workers went to the Dáil last week and the headquarters of Coca-Cola in Dublin to highlight their case, which has been referred back to Ibec by the Taoiseach for reconsideration, according to Mr Hartnett.
