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Noam Chomsky HUSSEIN MALLA/AP/Press Association Images

Noam Chomsky backs Vita Cortex workers

The renowned scholar and political activist has shown his support for the workers in their fifth week of a sit-in at their former employers in Cork.

THE WORKERS WHO are in the fifth week of a sit-in at the Vita Cortex plant in Cork have received a message of support from world renowned linguist, historian and activist Noam Chomsky.

A veteran human rights campaigner, Chomsky has sent a message “to the workers of Vita Cortex, Cork, Ireland” in which he commends their “courageous and honourable actions”.

Thirty-two staff have been occupying the former foam manufacturer’s premises on the Kinsale Road in Cork since 16 December, when management closed the plant and said it could not pay statutory redundancy to the workers who are represented by the union SIPTU.

Formal talks are underway at the Labour Relations Commission (LRC) in Cork today aimed at solving the dispute. The two parties held an initial meeting on Tuesday but talks took place in separate rooms and there was no immediate resolution.

In his email, published on the Support The Vita Cortex Workers website and verified by TheJournal.ie , Chomsky writes:

To the workers of Vita Cortex, Cork, Ireland.

I have just learned of your struggle and occupation, and your determination to carry on in the face of suffering and repression — and the unconscionable failure of the state to act on its responsibilities to you and other working people, symptomatic of all too much that is happening around the world today.  I hope that your courageous and honorable actions will be a model that will inspire others as well to act instead of succumbing passively, and wish you the greatest success in this just and crucial campaign for basic rights.

Noam Chomsky

The workers have already had messages of support from former president Mary Robinson and singer Christy Moore. This latest show of solidarity has been described as “staggering” by SIPTU Organiser Anne Egar.

“It clearly highlights the massively important issues that are at stake in this dispute concerning workers’ rights and the failure of employers to live up to their responsibilities,” she said.

The owners of the Vita Cortex plant have said they have been unable to move money between various businesses in order to pay the redundancy packages due to staff. Talks at the LRC are due to conclude later today.

Vita Cortex owner ‘can’t move money’ to pay for redundancies

LRC invites parties to talks on Vita Cortex dispute

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18 Comments
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    Mute Eileen Gabbett
    Favourite Eileen Gabbett
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    Jan 20th 2012, 2:10 PM

    This is a fantastic shot in the arm for these workers .
    Keep up the protest Lads and Ladies .

    112
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    Mute Damhsa Dmf
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    Jan 20th 2012, 2:29 PM

    Mr. Chomsky, you have my respect as always. Great that such an reputable man has put his support behind Vita Cortex workers, I wish them every success in getting what’s rightly owned to them and hopefully the growing support for them will help influence this outcome positively.

    85
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    Mute Paraic Simpson
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    Jan 20th 2012, 2:19 PM

    Keep it lit guys. Justice will prevail.

    78
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    Mute Derek Durkin
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    Jan 20th 2012, 2:30 PM

    Waitin on the right wing looneys to come on and try to discredit Chomsky even when they’re getting bitten in the ass by everything that Noam has said. As an old ancient arab proverb says “A wise man changes his mind sometimes, a fool never”

    59
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    Mute john g mcgrath
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    Jan 20th 2012, 2:39 PM

    Delighted to hear of any and all support for these workers.
    Howlin should get off his biscuit tin get down there and get this sorted instead of farting around Kildare street spoofing journalists

    36
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    Mute Deirdre Forde
    Favourite Deirdre Forde
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    Jan 20th 2012, 2:32 PM

    Fair play to you!

    34
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    Mute Leah O Reilly
    Favourite Leah O Reilly
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    Jan 20th 2012, 5:30 PM

    Keep going vita cortex workers,and all the taxpayers in Ireland should be grateful to you for drawing attention to unscrupulous businessmen like jack Ronan trying to ride off into the sunset and let the government to pay his employees what they’ve spent their lives working for.this is a fight for justice for every honest hardworking person in this country to be respected by their employer,nothing else to it,thankyou to Mary Robinson and Noam Chomsky for supporting these hard working people,the nation of Ireland will be forever indebted to these workers,seems like the educated among us get that .

    25
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    Mute Jones Frank
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    Jan 20th 2012, 5:09 PM

    Justice can not be far away for VC workers in cork. Keep up the good fight

    19
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    Mute William O'Shea
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    Jan 20th 2012, 6:12 PM

    Yes Leah, this fight goes way beyond the concerns of the workers involved……. every worker in Ireland should be supporting this lest they have the same fight tomorrow! (and the way things are going they probably will) The continuing erosion of worker’s rights (apart from, it seems, government employees) is particularly galling to me given we have Labour TD’s sitting around the Cabinet table.
    Well done the workers of Vita Cortex.

    19
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    Mute Paul Breen
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    Jan 20th 2012, 3:08 PM

    Workers of the world unite! http://youtu.be/XDd64suDz1A

    16
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    Mute Jim Brady
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    Jan 20th 2012, 10:40 PM

    WTF – worker?
    I’m a company director employing 14 people and I work 70-80 hours a week. I rent, don’t own a house and my last holiday was March 2011.
    Does that make me a worker?
    And if was doing the same hours, but living in an enormous mansion in Foxrock, would I still be entitled to call myself a worker?

    5
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    Mute Dave McCarthy
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    Jan 20th 2012, 2:34 PM

    Where is the problem? Doesn’t the nanny state pay the statutory redundancy back to the company? Can’t the state simply bypass the company and pay out the redundancies?

    6
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    Mute Sheila Murphy
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    Jan 20th 2012, 2:45 PM

    Dave there is no “magic” state money; when you say state, what you’re actually saying is taxpayers and/or gov borrowig which has to be paid back with interest……
    Just remember the owner of VC Ronan’s other business interests include a Tipperary based bloodstock company, PIC Ireland Ltd (which assists in the genetic improvement of pigs) and a 50% share in two crèches in Cork and Arklow. He is also the owner of a 300 acre stud farm and won the Irish Field ‘Breeder of the Year’ last August for a racehorse called Cape Blanco.

    38
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    Mute Dave McCarthy
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    Jan 20th 2012, 3:06 PM

    Sheila, and I was under the impression that the state gets money from the sky. lol, of course It’s the taxpayer money. All I’m saying is – doesn’t the state refund the statutory redundancy to all the companies that pay it out to their redundant workers??? If the answer to that question is yes, then why the fu*k not have the state pay it to the workers directly if It’s gonna have to pay it anyway? Can you grasp the question?

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    Mute Nunchucks Melinn
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    Jan 20th 2012, 3:26 PM

    Dave the state does refund a part of the employer’s redundancy payment, however the rebate was reduced from 60% to 15% in the last budget. It is a possibiltiy that the employer does not want to pay the redundancy due to the reduction in the rebate and using the excuse of funds not being transferrable between companies is a stall to put pressure on the redundancy terms being sought.

    36
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    Mute Anel Cceram
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    Jan 20th 2012, 4:52 PM

    What this state only bails out corrupt banks and cronies!! We the people are just a moral hazard and strategic defaulters don’t slam the door on your way out in your green jumper you might wake up heir Michael Noonan the German bond holder!!!!

    15
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    Mute Sheila Murphy
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    Jan 20th 2012, 4:59 PM

    hey Dave of course the VC workers should get their due and as Nunchucks has mentioned the rebate I’ll not mention that but what i will say is that i’m personally fed up with calls for the taxpayer to pay for this and that ; our taxes can’t cover everything so the gov borrows (at interest) and we’re getting more and more in a downward debt spiral. It’s not good.

    VC should pay what it owes; same as we all have to

    24
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    Mute SeanNorris
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    Jan 20th 2012, 7:15 PM

    the system in place for redundancies is when a redundancy arises the employer pays out the redundancy to the employees and then claims a rebate from the social insurance fund. the rebate up to December was 40% of the statutory (as opposed to actual redundancy paid) the rebate is now 15%. increasingly however, many businesses are pleading inability to pay statutory redundancy. in that scenario the system is that a claim is made to the social insurance fund for the statutory redundancy to be paid to the employee. the difference between the statutory and what the rebate that would have been due if the employer had paid the the redundancy is payable by the employer back to the social fund. the problem is that the later approach is becoming more common. ad there as considerable delays by dept of social protection in processing both rebates and employee lump sums it means that people are left waiting many months for their redundancy. this is part of the problem at vita but it is not the full reason for the sit in.

    2
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