Dan Boyle (Cork South Central, Green Party)

I am grateful for the opportunity to raise this subject and that my constituency colleague, the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, has chosen to respond on behalf of the Government. The loss of the 172 jobs in Roches Stores in Wilton is regretted by all in the area. All public representatives are anxious to pursue a common approach in seeking some remediation of the situation that has arisen.

I raise this issue on the basis that the loss of 172 jobs at any time is regrettable but there always seems to be more media attention and political reaction and concern when a similar number of jobs are lost in an industrial concern. Given, however, that our economy is now based 70% on services and retail, this is a significant loss of jobs for the people concerned. I am interested to hear what action the Minister has taken to date and what measures he believes can be applied towards securing alternative employment for the people involved.

The Minister and I are aware that there are commercial concerns at play here which fall outside the scope of normal political debate and reaction. I would like to believe that incidents of this kind could be avoided in the future if consideration is given to legislation in the relevant area. For example, in the area of the transfer of employment, there is strong legislation in place that is designed to protect the rights of the employee. I would argue that said legislation could be reconsidered in the context of the transfer of responsibilities from one company to a potential replacement company that could assume responsibility for the employment rights of any group of employees. It could also be reconsidered in the context of local authorities reassessing rates, service charges or, in the case of a commercial concern, rents. As the Minister is aware, the issue of rents is very much at the heart of this matter. What I am suggesting might not provide a ready solution to the predicament faced by the workers at Wilton. However, we must avoid the circumstances that have arisen and ensure that there is no recurrence.

It is regrettable that a commercial institution such as Roches Stores is moving on and replacing its shops with other businesses. However, the company has managed to do so successfully with its flagship store in Patrick Street and others throughout the country. Questions remain as to why this has not happened at the Wilton shopping centre. We must take a collective approach to this matter to ensure that an immediate solution can be found.

I offer these proposals by way of suggestion. The Minister, who has expressed much concern regarding this matter, shares the frustration of many in the constituency that matters have been allowed to develop to this extent, that a solution was not found before last Friday and that redundancy notices were issued to the workers in recent days. I would like to believe, however, that he remains as optimistic as I am that the potential exists for a resolution to this matter. If he is able to offer that glimmer of hope and comfort in his reply, the 172 people concerned would be grateful.

It must be remembered that those involved are mainly women — there are some men involved — whose rates of pay are average. In some circumstances, these individuals' length of service has been considerable and they have been extremely loyal to the company. Some of the people working with the company and hoping to transfer to another have developed relationships, the common goals of which are dependent on employment and success with whatever companies they work for in the future.

From a human perspective, I will be interested to hear the Minister's reply. I hope that not only will he indicate how he, the Government and his Department can respond but also how those of us who are also involved in representing the constituency, at national and local level, can react in a collective sense to help resolve this matter.

See this speech in context