Vol. 475 No. 4
257 Mr. D. Ahern asked the Minister for Enterprise and Employment the action, if any, which is required to be undertaken by management and unions in the Drogheda area, County Louth in order to put right the alleged adverse perception of the Drogheda area as a location for industrial inward investment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5145/97]
The Deputy will be aware that on Monday, 17 February the Minister of State with responsibility for commerce, science and technology, Deputy Rabbitte, led a fact-finding delegation from the Department of Enterprise and Employment, IDA and Forbairt to Drogheda to discuss the situation there with business people, large firms, their workers, trade union officials and others. His conclusion was that it would be wrong and damaging to the town to give any currency to the notion that industrial relations in Drogheda are any worse than elsewhere. In reality the industrial relations climate in the town is not, essentially, very different from the rest of the country.
The Minister of State was made aware of a perception among some industrialists, though, of an unwillingness on the part of some workers and their unions to accept change and more flexible work practices. In an increasingly competitive environment an openness and a will to change and to adopt new work arrangements has become an essential ingredient of competitiveness. Unwillingness to adopt changes in the workplace or in the management of a firm's affairs could prove very damaging to maintaining prosperity or even to survival. In exchanges with firms, their workers and the unions, he spoke of the need for all concerned to explore positively the introduction of change and adjustment in workplaces to competitive pressures.
In those exchanges with the trade unions he was told that the workers are increasingly accepting the need for change. This is encouraging. Efforts in this connection should be positively supported locally by the unions and the business sector. While the Department of Enterprise and Employment and the industrial development agencies, in conjunction with the Louth local authority can provide resources, including a sufficiently large landbank of approximately 50 acres to promote future industrial development, and while the town benefits from the well-regarded regional technical college in the county, ultimately only the local workers and employers themselves can bring about a change in this perception. This can best be achieved by their demonstrating clearly that they can solve their differences and address the need for change in a constructive manner and in a spirit of co-operation.
The Minister of State is fully aware that while the country is enjoying an unprecedented job creation period at the moment, there is a problem of job losses in Drogheda in firms undergoing a process of streamlining in the face of competitive pressures. The town is currently undergoing a process of change, and while adjustment difficulties are being experienced, particularly in the older companies such as McDonnells Limited, he nevertheless remains very positive about the future of the town with companies such as DCS Communications Limited, manufacturers of telecommunication network systems already employing 30 people and expected to employ 450 in the long-term.
