Mary Ann O'Brien (Independent)

In answer to Senator Cullinane who asked whether this would amount to job losses, I met two companies in the past 24 hours. One is a multinational manufacturing exporter in the top 50 in this country with 650 employees, 300 of whom are agency workers and 350 of whom are permanent. Let me take the Senator to the boardroom in the United States where this company is run. It has companies all over the world, in Mexico, Asia, eastern Europe and Ireland. The board is in the United States and Ireland is one location. They run a red, amber, green system. They work on margins, not profitability. Let us say this year our margin is 42% of a target and at the end of this year, Ireland does not hit that 42%. When the board members ask why, they see that different labour laws have come into Ireland, competitiveness is gone and there is a new cost. Ireland has gone from a green in flexibility in the labour department to a red, and we will be struck off by the board. It will take them a year or a year and a half to disband that company, and 600 jobs will be gone.