Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

A number of weeks ago, I raised the proposed acquisition of Smurfit Kappa News Press in Kells by KIP Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of News Corp. The matter is currently with the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission. At that stage, I told the Tánaiste there were concerns the terms and conditions of employment and redundancy would be under threat and he said he would ask his officials to contact the company. Now, regrettably, those concerns have been heightened and it is feared the company will close immediately after a transfer, at least for a period, and that those terms will be reduced. Have the Tánaiste's officials contacted Smurfit Kappa and News Corp? What assurances can the Tánaiste provide workers that they are not going to be the victim of a company offloading its redundancy responsibilities, particularly as commitments in respect of those responsibilities were hard-won in negotiations?

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