Around 300 people marched from the outskirts of Naas town to the nearby Green Isle Foods plant today in support of workers protesting at the dismissal of staff.
Members of the Technical, Engineering & Electrical Union have been picketing outside the plant for the past six months. Two of the workers are on hunger strike.
The company said the dispute centres on the downloading of adult material onto at least three staff members’ computers, resulting in workers being sacked.
Ictu president Jack O’Connor addressed protesters and claimed the company, which makes frozen food, was not prepared to observe a Labour Court ruling.
“There are 840,000 people on the island of Ireland who are members of trade unions. We have an obligation to ensure that by this day week (next Saturday) each and every one of them knows what was done...so that they are informed of that in exercising their preferences when shopping for their family,” he said.
Last December the Labour Court ruled the dismissals were unjustified and said its normal approach would be to recommend the workers’ reinstatement. The TEEU - which accepts that two workers were sent this material in e-mail form - denied the material was downloaded.
Instead the spokesman said it was an unsolicited email sent from an anonymous source.
Shop steward Jim Wyse is now in his eleventh day on hunger strike and John Guinan, a former Offaly All-Ireland footballer, is in his fourth day on hunger strike.
A third TEEU member will join the hunger strike next Wednesday if the dispute is not resolved in the meantime.
The union representative added: “The hunger strikers took this momentous step after being on the picket lines for six months, through one of the worst winters in living memory, and after the company rebuffed the efforts of the Labour Relations Commission, the National Implementation Body and the Labour Court to resolve the dispute.” A spokesman for Green Isle said the hunger strikes were “unhelpful”.
“The company is keen to reiterate that this issue relates to hardcore pornography and defending the download of over 700 pornographic images and movies that included sexual torture, sexual assault and bestiality,” he said.
“In any civilised society, and in any company, this is categorised as gross misconduct, and the employees involved were subsequently dismissed.
“We cannot give any concession which would risk the safety at work of our employees or suggest that we tolerate such material. We stand firmly by our decision.” He said the company had been consistent in its position on the Labour Court.
“As the issue was not a collective one and as the business is non-unionised, the Labour Court was not the appropriate forum to hear this matter, and any recommendation by it is not binding on the company,” he added.
PA