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2006

European Unions back Greencore workers in their fight for fair compensation for job losses

Date Released: 07 Nov 2006

The European Federation of Food, Agriculture and Tourism Trade Unions (EFFAT) passed a motion at their meeting in Madrid today, supporting over 300 Greencore workers in their claim on Greencore to pay a Labour Court redundancy award. It said the closedown of sugar production in Ireland “is taking place in shameful and unacceptable conditions”.

The motion continued, “Workers made redundant by Greencore deserve a fair compensation. The European trade unions of the food, beverages and tobacco sector demonstrate their solidarity towards workers from Irish Sugar.

“In February 2006, the European Union adopted a reform of the organisation of the common market for sugar. Besides dramatic changes in the rules with regard to prices and production quotas, the Commission, the European Parliament and the Council agreed to set up a temporary restructuring fund in order to cover the social impact of the reform: should workplaces have to disappear, would the workers losing their jobs be at least treated in a fair way.

“On May 12th, 2006, Greencore Plc, owner of Irish Sugar, closed down its last sugar factory, causing the redundancy of 330 direct employees. In application of the European provisions, Greencore will receive compensation from the restructuring fund for abandoning its 200 000 tonnes sugar production quotas. However, since then, the rights of the workers made redundant by the company to a fair compensation has been constantly denied by Irish Sugar, notwithstanding a recommendation and clarifications from the Irish Labour Court and in contradiction to the provisions of the Code of Conduct on Corporate Social Responsibility it signed in 2003.

“In doing so, Greencore does respect neither the text nor the spirit of the European Regulations, which set up a temporary restructuring fund in order to take into due account the respect of social and environmental commitments linked to the abandon of sugar production quota. So far the company considers it as a providential money basket for some financial juggling.

“The European trade unions of the food, beverages and tobacco sector deplore the disastrous and shameful way the reform of the organisation of the common market for sugar is developing in Ireland and express their solidarity to the Irish Trade Unions, SIPTU and TEEU, engaged in the enforcement of European provisions.”

 





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