LIMERICK JOB LOSSES:ONE OF the biggest expected fallouts from Dell's decision to close its manufacturing facility in Limerick was finally confirmed yesterday with the loss of 477 jobs at one of the company's main suppliers.
Following weeks of speculation, RR Donnelly, formerly known as Banta, confirmed to staff yesterday that their jobs would be phased out over the next nine months.
Fears for the jobs at RR Donnelly continued to mount since its main client Dell announced in January that it was moving its manufacturing facility to Poland with the loss of 1,900 jobs.
The decision was a result of “customers’ shifts in strategic direction” and global economic conditions.
The company, whose global headquarters are in Chicago, provides print and related services to businesses around the world.
Fine Gael deputy Kieran O’Donnell said the announcement was “devastating” news for Limerick, still reeling since the loss of almost 2,000 jobs at Dell.
“I would like to extend my full sympathy to the staff and their families who face a very uncertain future. It is essential that a fair redundancy package is put in place which reflects the years of dedication put in by the loyal staff members.”
Mr O’Donnell described the workers as “highly-skilled”, and urged the Government to immediately engage with RR Donnelly in an effort to find new business for the plant.
He said if this was not possible the multi-agency taskforce set up on foot of Fine Gael’s demands and the local employment and retraining task force “An Tús Nua, the Dell job losses must engage directly with the workers to ensure that retraining is provided as soon as possible”.
Earlier this week, following the first meeting of the taskforce, its chief executive Vincent Cunnane admitted that there were genuine concerns over the continuing jobs fallout from Dell.
“There’s no doubt that there’s going to be associated job losses. How those companies respond to the loss of Dell, if they generate new markets for their work or actually take that work abroad, remains to be seen, but we are going to see the outcome of the loss of Dell in other companies, there’s no doubt about it,” Mr Cunnane said.
The chairman of the new taskforce, Denis Brosnan, described the loss of the Dell jobs in Limerick as the “wake-up call” Government needed to recognise the ongoing economic decline of the west of Ireland.
“Dell may be the catalyst that will change this region forever, because the midwest and all of the west of Ireland has been in decline long before Dell,” said Mr Brosnan.