Taxpayers foot €100m redundancy bill

THE cost to taxpayers triggered by companies refusing or unable to pay money owed to redundant workers has tripled in two years to nearly €100 million.

The huge rise again focused attention on the Vita Cortex dispute as sacked workers demonstrated outside the Dáil with hundreds of supporters.

Figures obtained by Cork TD Ciarán Lynch from the Social Protection Department reveal the financial burden being put on the state by firms not carrying out their redundancy arrangements.