Coughlan move ‘a clear backing for workers’

GREENCORE workers are owed a better redundancy package than the company has given them and the Agriculture Minister gave a clear backing to their claim when she announced the allocation of the restructuring package for the Irish sugar industry.

That is according to one of the unions representing the workers, the TEEU.

Along with SIPTU, it argues that Greencore’s redundancy package does not meet the full recommendations of the Labour Court — a claim the company disputes.

In announcing the allocation of the €145 million restructuring package on Wednesday, Mary Coughlan said the sugar producer will have to come up with a restructuring plan for the sector if it wants to receive its €98m share.

That plan must take into account the Labour Court recommendation on pensions and protection for “vulnerable” pensioners in terms of additional funding to meet the pension requirements.

The minister said that if it does not offer a “sound economic package” it will be rejected and Greencore will receive no allocation.

The unions believe the National Implementation Body (NIB), which meets this afternoon, will be able to give a solution which will favour the workers.

Pat Guilfoyle of the TEEU said: “Minister Coughlan, in the restructuring announcement, has clearly set out that the redundancy pay be in line with what has been laid out by the Labour Court.

“As part of the plan put forward by Greencore, they have to stipulate they will honour all redundancy payments under European legislation.”

“The minister has the power to withhold the payment until they honour the Labour Court recommendation and she must do that if the company does not pay up.”

He said he hopes some resolution will come out of the today’s NIB meeting and that they can call off impending strike action and picketing of all Greencore’s producing businesses.

Greencore has said the redundancy package it is offering is generous, completely uncapped and meets the Labour Court’s requirements.

It has claimed the average redundancy payment to workers in Mallow is €145,000, with some of the top figures to Mallow workers at €219,000.

“We have gone through due process [with the Labour Court] for some time,” a spokeswoman said.

“Greencore have made a full and fair redundancy package for employees and that is in line with what the workers in Carlow got.”

Meanwhile, Labour TD and former Greencore employee of 18 years, Joe Sherlock, has said sugar beet growers and contractors will be “at a severe loss” with the 40m allocated to them from the restructuring aid.

“However, Greencore still have a great financial resource with the properties in Mallow and Carlow,” he said.

Sinn Féin meanwhile launched what it described as a “major policy statement setting out the future of the Irish sugar beet industry” at the Killag Agriculture Show in Wexford yesterday.

It said the minister’s fund allocation was an absolute disgrace and called for Greencore to adapt a new bio-fuel policy for the Carlow and Mallow plants.