THE OWNER of a foam manufacturing firm at the centre of an occupation by workers seeking redundancy payments has denied it had agreed to make any ex-gratia payment above the statutory requirement of two weeks’ pay per year of service.
Vita Cortex owner Jack Ronan said the firm was not asked by the workers’ union Siptu to make any ex-gratia payment above the statutory requirement when it announced in September it was closing the Cork plant: “Siptu never requested and we never made any commitment to pay any ex-gratia payment – we said that the company would be going to the Social Insurance Fund to pay the statutory redundancy of two weeks’ pay per year of service.”
Some 32 former staff at Vita Cortex have been occupying the company’s premises on the Kinsale Road in Cork since December 16th last in a bid to secure what they say is their agreed redundancy entitlement of 2.9 weeks’ pay per year of service.
Mr Ronan told The Irish Times that when workers previously accepted redundancy in Cork they each got a lump sum, but this was not calculated on the basis of weeks of pay per year of service.
Siptu organiser Ann Egar said Mr Ronan was incorrect and the union had an agreement with Vita Cortex since at least 2010 for payments of 2.9 weeks per year, inclusive of the statutory redundancy. She said up to a dozen Siptu members were paid 2.9 weeks per year on taking redundancy in 2010.