Former Greencore workers seek block to development

FORMER Greencore workers have asked Cork county councillors to block any attempts by their ex-employer to redevelop the 400-acre site at Mallow — until they get their redundancy entitlements.

The plea followed the announcement yesterday that the former sugar producer intends to build a €1.1 billion town centre development in its grounds in Carlow.

Gerry McCormack of SIPTU said last week they met councillors in Carlow and asked them to block any major development moves by Greencore until the company fulfilled its requirement to pay out the redundancy package recommended by the Labour Court for a number of staff.

“The councillors passed a resolution condemning Greencore and some stated publicly they should not be giving them any support.

“The legality of any block on planning permission would be another matter though,” he said.

Former Greencore worker Kieran Buckley demanded once more for the company to honour the redundancy agreement.

“Coming up to Christmas the very least they could do at this stage is resolve the matter,” he said.

Meanwhile, in the next fortnight, Mr McCormack and his counterpart in the Technical, Engineering and Electrical Union (TEEU), Pat Guilfoyle, are bound for Brussels to will take part in a conference organised by the European Federation of Trade Unions in the Food, Agriculture and Tourism sectors (EFFAT).

The meeting is to discuss the restructuring process in the European countries where sugar production has been curtailed.

During their time there, they hope to meet with EU Agriculture and Rural Development Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel to outline the situation which exists in Ireland in relation to the restructuring fund.

Before they go, the unions will go to the High Court to see if they can be made notice parties in the legal battle between Greencore and the Government over the distribution of the restructuring fund.