FORMER VITA Cortex workers awoke to their first day of freedom in five months, having successfully secured redundancy payments from company owner Jack Ronan.
Emotions ran high at the Cork plant yesterday as 23 former staff hugged, posed for photographs and prepared to walk through the factory doors one final time.
It was as if the weather conspired to lift their spirits even higher as hundreds gathered to witness their exit on day 161 of the factory occupation protest.
Shortly before 3pm the workers emerged from the plant to jubilant applause. They embraced supporters and broke into strains of The Banks of My Own Lovely Lee.
Champagne flowed in the sweltering heat of the factory car park, and there was a palpable sense of relief among workers, whose perseverance and patience were pushed to breaking point in the campaign to secure the payments.
The workers became “like family” as they celebrated first Christmas, then Easter, rotating shifts in the harsh industrial conditions.
As the struggle continued the focus turned from money to justice, said former employee Henry O’Reilly. “After a couple of weeks, it became obvious that this was not about the money, but about principle. That’s why we stuck with it,” he said.
Mr O’Reilly was diagnosed with cancer in February. For him, it was the “small gestures” offered by supporters that kept the workers going.
The former employees spoke about low points, such as a series of Labour Relations Commission talks that raised hopes of a settlement, but subsequently failed.
Seán Kelleher, who worked at the Tramore Road plant for 47 years, said workers were happy with their settlement.
“ People might give in too easily without a fight to get what is justly theirs. I hope we have given a good example,” he said.
The workers began their sit-in on December 16th after losing their jobs, but no redundancy payments had been agreed.
The campaign was bolstered by a series of famous names that lent support. Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, world champion boxer Katie Taylor, actor Cillian Murphy, footballer Paul McGrath, singer Christy Moore and human rights campaigner Noam Chomsky were among them.
Final payments were transferred into workers’ bank accounts early in the day, heralding the end of the campaign.