Third Man on Hunger Strike Faces Deportation
3 Mar 2010
John Rector, the third man to join the hunger strike in the Green Isle Foods dispute has been informed that his work visa has been revoked and that he must leave the country by Monday, March 8.
John is from the Philippines and has been working at Green Isle Foods for the past three years. He was informed of this on the very day joined the hunger strike.
His wife and three children, aged six, seven and one year old, are living with him in Naas. His youngest child was born in Ireland.
Ironically March 8th is also the day when Cork City Council, Fingal County Council and South Dublin County Council are to discuss motions on the Green Isle Foods dispute. Dublin City Council passed a motion on Monday night calling on the company to accept the Labour Court recommendation made last December as the basis for resolving the six months old dispute, a reccomendation the union has already accepted.
John Recto said he was going ahead with the hunger strike regardless:"I have mixed emotions naturally about what has happened today, but we agreed this was the only way to make the company come to the table and I am ready to go ahead as planned. It is a big challenge, but I am ready for it."
He added that he had first been notified by the immigration authorities that he was required to call to Naas Garda station for interview two weeks ago. When he arrived this morning at Naas Garda station an immigration officer asked him for his passport, proof of residence, a copy of the Labour Court Recommendation and John's Garda ID card.
"He recommended that I write to the Minister for Justice for an extension of the visa. As my family is dependent for residence in Ireland on my visa they will also have to leave." John said that his one year old son had an Irish passport.
The company has rebuffed offers at mediation by the Labour relations Commission, National Implementation Body and Labour Court.
It has engaged in a mediation process under the auspices of Bernard Durkan TD and Jack Wall TD since shortly after the hunger strike began on February 17th, but progress has been slow.
