Vita Cortex owners to enter talks

The owners of the Vita Cortex foam manufacturing plant are to enter mediation talks with workers, 111 days after a sit in at the Cork premises began.

Staff have been occupying their former workplace since mid-December in a dispute over redundancy payments.

The Labour Relations Commission (LRC) informed union representatives that the company was prepared to talk to workers

Former staff have welcomed the news, union officials said.

“We were informed early today by the LRC that the owners of Vita Cortex have agreed to enter the process it proposed some weeks ago which can hopefully resolve this long running dispute,” Siptu’s manufacturing division organiser Gerry McCormack said.

“We understand that the LRC will commence immediately to set up the mediation process through which the parties can engage.”

The 32 employees involved in the dispute are seeking 0.9 weeks’ pay per year of service which, they say, was agreed with the company and given to other employees who left in 2009 and 2010.

Last month, the former employees accepted an invitation to talks from the Labour Relations Commission.