Peter Fitzpatrick (Louth, Fine Gael)

In three months, 102 people from Dundalk will be out of work. The announcement was made last Friday by the Vodafone company. Of the 102 people, 82 work for Rigney Dolphin which provides services to Vodafone, while the remaining 20 work directly for Vodafone. The people affected had a very miserable weekend. Many of them are very highly qualified and have contributed to the success of Vodafone in this country. Now they face a choice between emigration and the dole queue.

I offer my sympathy to all of the individuals affected by this decision, and to their families. I implore the Minister of State to pull out all the stops on their behalf. Vodafone is a very profitable business and will probably save money by moving some of its services to India and Egypt. While the money saved can be measured, how does one measure the suffering inflicted on the people who will lose their jobs? Recently, the new Government halved the lower rate of PRSI in an effort to reduce the cost of employing people. This will definitely help Vodafone's cost base. The Government also intends to make every effort to reduce costs for employers through every means open to it.

Will the Minister of State engage with Vodafone to explain the Government's strategy and ask it to reverse its decision? The Republic is in dire straits and a little loyalty from Vodafone to the 102 people who have contributed to its profits would be very well received. As a last resort, I urge the Minister of State to establish a taskforce to replace these jobs in Dundalk as a matter of urgency. Dundalk is only a few miles from the Border. The local economy suffered greatly during the IRA campaign and has always been a victim of competition from across the Border. Dundalk cannot afford to lose 102 jobs.

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