Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 30 Jan 2003

Vol. 560 No. 2

Adjournment Debate. - Job Losses.

Mr. Finneran

I welcome the Minister. I call on the Government to address the employment crisis in the Roscommon-Longford constituency as a result of major job losses at a number of factories in County Roscommon and in Ballinasloe, County Galway. Some 1,125 jobs have been lost to this region since January 2001. Irish Gloves in Roscommon town closed at the beginning of 2001 with the loss of 30 jobs. A total of 50 jobs were lost at Mayo Workwear, Castlerea, at the same time, while 30 were lost at Precision Casting in Roscommon town in June 2001. Some 280 jobs were lost at Glanbia in Rooskey as a result of fire; 70 people were working in a cannery and 120 were redeployed. In fact, 470 jobs have been disrupted, with 280 lost. Elan Pharmaceuticals, Monksland, south Roscommon, shed 350 jobs in August 2002 and 385 jobs were lost at Square D in Ballinasloe in January 2003. That makes a total of 1,125 jobs lost to this region in just over a year.

I do not know of any other region which could absorb those losses. A difficult aspect for a public representative from that area is that it is ten years since IDA Ireland provided a job in the area. I call on the Government and the statutory agencies to address the serious jobs crisis in County Roscommon and the adjoining counties of east Galway, Longford, Leitrim and Westmeath. Job losses have affected all this area.

The area, particularly Roscommon town and the major towns of County Roscommon, have been neglected by the agencies which have a responsibility for job creation. Is there any other county which has not had an IDA Ireland job provided in the past ten years, as is the case in County Roscommon? I ask the Minister to ensure that the responsible agencies make a special effort regarding our county, address the question of job losses and not allow a flight from the county. We have a decreasing population in the north-west of the county and we need the full attention of the job creating agencies and the Department.

We are in the BMW region but this is nothing more than a paper exercise as far as extra jobs are concerned. There are two opportunities which must be grasped by the Government. First, the policy decision that 50% of all jobs brought into the country should be brought to the BMW region must be put into effect. Roscommon must be given priority and provided with an opportunity to get jobs either through IDA Ireland or the Enterprise Ireland structure. Second, when the Government shortly makes a decision regarding the decentralisation of civil servants to the regions County Roscommon, particularly the town of Roscommon, should be earmarked for the transfer of civil servants.

The workers in Precision Casting in Roscommon have been picketing since June 2001. They were locked out on 27 June when the company closed down while the workers were on strike. They have been given a statutory redundancy payment of one week for every year's service but have challenged this payment in the Labour Court and have been awarded three weeks redundancy payment. The company has not honoured this award. I ask that the Government, in the current talks on a new national agreement, make the new legislation retrospective to cover the case of these workers, who have been on picket duty for more than a year and a half. This is the minimum that can be offered to these workers. I know there are workers in similar circumstances throughout the country but the people in Precision Casting in Roscommon have been locked out.

Roscommon is an employment blackspot. It is ten years since we had a positive response regarding jobs and it is time we got our fair share of what is available. I call on the Government and the agencies under its jurisdiction to respond in a positive way to the needs of County Roscommon.

Minister of State at the Department of Finance (Mr. Parlon)

I thank Deputy Finneran for raising this matter on the Adjournment. The job losses at the companies mentioned by the Deputy have been spread over a period of time. Indeed, in the case of one of the companies in Roscommon, the matter was discussed on the Adjournment in the Seanad on 28 June 2001.

The recently announced job losses in Ballinasloe are still very fresh in our minds – they were discussed on the Adjournment of this House last evening. The Tánaiste has pledged her support for the workers in Ballinasloe. She is determined to use every facility at her disposal to encourage alternative investment to locate in the area. The fact that Ballinasloe has fared badly in recent years has been acknowledged. The considerable new investments that have located elsewhere in the region are little comfort to workers in the town who have lost their jobs.

Finding new investment and providing new sources of employment in the areas mentioned will not be easy but the Tánaiste is determined to do everything she can to see that this happens. The State agencies continue to market these areas. They form part of the Border, midland and west region, which is a priority location for jobs promotion by the agencies. The agencies are also committed to bringing about balanced regional development. The availability of suitable premises and committed and motivated workforces are major selling points.

Recognising that urban environments are generally more attractive for mobile investment, IDA Ireland has adopted a target of having 50% of all new greenfield investment located in the Objective One region which includes Roscommon and Longford. IDA Ireland has sought to encourage investment in the defined sectors of medical devices, ICT, engineering and internationally traded services-software to the region, which seeks to build on the relative advantages in various towns. An essential part of this endeavour had been refining IDA Ireland property offerings. This is a key tool to winning investments. IDA Ireland is continuing to design and develop high quality business parks and advance factory units, fully serviced to international standards. In that context, IDA Ireland is currently pursuing the possibility of a new business park in Longford town and advance units in Roscommon town.

Enterprise Ireland has approved support for community enterprise centres in Ballinasloe, Roscommon and Ballaghaderreen and a feasibility study is under way to investigate the potential of developing a centre in Boyle.

FÁS, in particular, is always available to provide workers with every possible support in circumstances where jobs have been lost. Its services include placement and retraining facilities. The companies that have got into difficulty generally also want to assist in the efforts to find alternative employment for their employees. This is a very welcome example of good corporate social responsibility. In the most recent case in Ballinasloe, the company has indicated its intention to provide a fair severance package that recognises the contribution of workers over a long number of years.

The question of a task force for the area has been raised before. However, the Tánaiste is satisfied that the development agencies under the aegis of her Department are fully committed to the promotion of employment in the area. The agencies also work closely with local development bodies, including the county development boards and other local bodies and interests, to facilitate an integrated approach to the development of the area. A focused agency approach combined with a local based approach is what is needed to address the jobs situation. A task force would only serve to add an additional layer over the combined and committed efforts of the local organisations.

Both the Tánaiste and I share a real concern to ensure that all the resources of our development agencies remain focused on this difficult employment situation and that the people who have lost their jobs are given opportunities for further employment and retraining.