Posted online: Feb 18th, 2010

By Sinéad Flanagan
Editor

A NUMBER of men are preparing to go on hunger strike if their employer doesn’t reinstate three workers sacked last summer.
The men at Green Isle facility in Monread Industrial Estate, Naas have been on strike since last August. Having pleaded with their employers who the engineering group feel unfairly dismissed three of their colleagues, no progress has been made since then.
MEP Joe Higgins remarked: “Despite an LRC finding that these men were unfairly dismissed, Green Isle has still refused to negotiate a settlement. The company’s stance has brought the workers to a point where they feel left with no alternative but to commence a hunger strike from Wednesday, 17th February at 12 noon.
“I call on Green Isle, a company which through the years has receive €43 million in state aid according to the TEEU, to reinstate these workers forthwith. If they fail to do so, I urge the trade union leadership to fully enforce the ICTU all out picket and have the goods of Green Isle blacked by distribution and shop workers. I call on all working people to make every effort to attend the march in support of the workers on 27th February at 12 noon in Naas.”
Officials at Green Isle remarked that the company would not be commenting on the situation but added that “it is anxious to bring the strike to a conclusion and last week asked Bernard Durkan (TD) to facilitate a settlement between the company and the eight workers on strike.” The group approached Deputy Durkin at the end of last week to “sponsor an initiative focused on agreeing a settlement with the eight workers concerned.”
The company sacked the three employees last year for what it termed “serious breaches of its IT and email policy”.