Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity) | Oireachtas source

The workers should hold the Minister to that promise. This morning's meeting was organised by the company, so it will be important for the workers themselves to meet to discuss how to push back on this issue. Something that they can, and should, consider is the fact that, with a general election coming in the next six months or sooner, there is an opportunity to put pressure on the Government to match the fine words we have heard with action in the form of alternative jobs. The workers' union, SIPTU, has stated that its focus is on saving the jobs. That is a positive comment, but one that will need to be backed with action.

There are 124,000 Novartis workers in 60 plants across the world. There needs to be a conversation between them, aided by social media, about how to push back collectively against a company that moves them like pawns on a chess board.

There is an idea of an industry-wide meeting of pharmaceutical workers in the Cork Harbour region to discuss this crisis and an appropriate response by workers and trade unionists to push back. With a global recession coming, what is happening is unlikely to be the final example of this, and it is important that workers get organised to face the threat.

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