Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

This is a reminder to us that every day is a battle. We are trading in a competitive global environment and costs in plants in a global group such as this are compared. That, unfortunately, is the world in which we live and if we want to sustain higher pay, we have to have better production process, increased efficiency and so on.

That is one of the tough parts of the environment in which we are trying to compete. I think Ireland has been very successful in this regard. We have been very good adopters of lean technology. We are innovative. Our workers are very flexible. That is true in all of our plants. While this comes as a huge blow, we have an opportunity to work with the investment the company is making to ensure the plant that remains is very competitive and provides good jobs into the future. There are alternative retraining opportunities. When it is clear who will be losing their jobs, we will undertake an audit of their skills and needs and talk to them to see what would best suit them. Many options, including SOLAS training, are there to re-equip them.

When I raised the issue of a package with the company, I was told that it wishes to negotiate directly with the trade unions. I think people will recognise that it has offered reasonable packages in the past. The company is fully committed to getting this plant up to the highest competitive standards. It wants the plant to be what it would describe as a tier 1 plant. That would make it a leader in the group. There is a strong commitment here. Obviously, that will require a great deal of reskilling, etc. The company is restructuring its lines from 12 to six. This will involve many changes in conditions and shifts, etc. That is what is being negotiated. I think there is something to work with. As Deputy Finian McGrath said, the company has a very long history and has provided quality employment over a long period. I hope we can work to ensure it continues to be an important employer after this. I share the other Deputies' sympathy for those who are confronted with this uncertainty. We will do our best to work with them to get the best possible outcome.

See this speech in context