Union willing to negotiate ‘just’ Cortex settlement
But the union stood firm on the disputed amount at the centre of the ex-gratia redundancy payment dispute and it said it is 0.9 of a week per year of service — about €372,000.
“Siptu is unequivocal in restating, on the behalf of the workers, that the owners of Vita Cortex must make this payment in full,” Siptu’s Anne Eager said. “The amount outstanding is just over €370,000 — a sum which it has been clearly demonstrated can be raised by the owners of Vita Cortex.”
The developments came last night after Vita Cortex management issued a statement criticised its former workers for rejecting a redundancy offer last week made through employers body Ibec, valued at just over €185,000.
The money was pledged from the personal resources of its directors and shareholders.
But Siptu branded it a “derisory offer” and rejected it.
In a statement yesterday, Vita Cortex urged Siptu to “adopt a more realistic position”, and to enter into “meaningful negotiations”, but restated its position that it never promised 0.9 weeks payment per year of service.
The company said the directors and shareholders are extremely “disappointed and surprised” by the rejection of what it described as a substantial offer made in a “genuine effort” to end the dispute.
“While there is no obligation on the shareholders to provide any additional funds, the shareholders have put significant effort and good will into raising funds,” it said. “All efforts to find a solution to the dispute by the company, its representatives Ibec and Siptu require goodwill by all sides and a real willingness to find a solution.”
The company said despite the rejection, it is still committed to “exploring all meaningful efforts” to resolve the dispute and is sympathetic towards the workers.
But it added that the workers have received their statutory redundancy which amounted to an average of €26,000 per worker, with several receiving in excess of €50,000. “The offer that was made last Wednesday, if it had been accepted, would have resulted in the workers receiving total payments close to €1.1m.”
However, Ms Eager said she was annoyed at the company’s attempt to claim credit for the workers getting statutory redundancy.
“In reality this is a case of the Vita Cortex owners leaving it up to taxpayers to pick up their tab. We call upon the owners to remember the sizeable profits they have made down the years from the work of their staff and finally meet their obligations and pay what the workers are owed.”
