John Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for his reply but his statement is not in keeping with what I am being told by the staff of the companies. I understand the Minister may have met the chairman of the groups approximately three months ago but nothing has happened to date. Staff tell me they are in limbo and that there have been no negotiations or dialogue to date. Are the jobs guaranteed in the new set-up in the local authority? When will the Minister have real negotiations with the people involved? Will there be forced redundancies? The county managers tell me they have a significant overload of staff in their local authorities. They want to know how they are supposed to manage the new staff when they come in. The Minister must accept that a good deal of expertise has been built up over the years in the local development groups. It is important the staff are maintained but it is as important the staff have an opportunity for real dialogue and discussion and for them to be told what will happen in 2014.

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