SIPTU MEMBERS AT Cork Institute of Technology (CIT) will engage in strike action next week to demand the reinstatement of six catering workers who were made redundant last week.

The six workers were alleged;y dismissed without any consultation or redundancy payments, according to SIPTU’s Bill Mulcahy. They were employed by Student Services Ltd, a private company set up by the management of CIT.

“The ballot followed a decision by the management of Students Services Ltd, a private company which oversees the running of catering and retail outlets on the CIT campus, to make six SIPTU members redundant without any consultation or redundancy payments,” Mulcahy said.

He said SIPTU had asked the company to defer the redundancies “to allow for a meaningful meeting with management where ways could be discussed to save the jobs” but that the request had been turned down.

The six workers lost their jobs on Friday, 9 March. Mulcahy said some of them had been working for the company for over two years but, despite this, no statutory redundancy had been paid.

Student Services Ltd, which runs four catering and two retail outlets on the CIT campus, employs 44 people all of whom are members of SIPTU.

Pickets will be placed on all entrances to CIT on Wednesday 21 March.