The announcement by e-payments giant PAYPAL that they are to seek 307 redundancies in Ireland, 172 of them in the Dundalk office, has been the cause of widespread shock throughout County Louth and beyond.
Fine Gael MEP Colm Markey described the loss of 172 jobs at PayPal in Dundalk as a huge blow. The Midlands-North-West MEP was speaking after a phone call with Paypal management this afternoon (Tuesday).
He commented, “I was shocked to hear the news of the Paypal job losses in Louth and Dublin this afternoon and my thoughts are very much with the affected staff members and their families. It is a particular difficult time for anyone losing their job and I know they will be worried about what lies ahead.
I’m calling on Paypal to ensure they receive a generous redundancy package and all the necessary supports as they leave their positions. I welcome the Tánaiste’s commitment to make all necessary State assistance available to the workers, to help them find new employment, education and training opportunities as soon as possible.
PayPal first came to Dundalk in 2012, providing a much-needed boost to the local economy. Although today’s announcement is deeply disappointing, the company has reassured me that they remain committed to the town and to the remaining staff and I do hope they continue their presence in Dundalk and indeed in Dublin for many more decades to come.”
Government supports will be available to PayPal staff affected by redundancies – O’Dowd
Meanwhile, local Local Fine Gael TD, Fergus O’Dowd, said that he is deeply concerned by the announcement and that he has been he has been in contact An Tánaiste, Leo Varadkar and his office to ensure that all available government supports will be made available to assist individuals and families affected by PayPal’s decision.
“The Tánaiste has informed me that the consultation period will begin this week and that no redundancies will take effect until June.
This will be a very difficult time for the employees and I will support them in any way I can going forward.
I have also spoken directly with the company to outline my concerns and they have informed me that they expect 139 of the 300 the redundancies to take place in their Dundalk site.
In a call with Pay Pal today Deputy Ged Nash stressed to them that the engagement with staff on the future of the 172 jobs in Dundalk and the 135 positions in West Dublin cannot be an exercise in tokenism.
Redundcies cannot be an exercise in tokenism says Nash.
“Under the law on collective redundancies their plans should be treated as a proposal and not a final decision as the consultation process with staff has yet to get underway.
“That formal engagement with staff will commence this week and I requested that staff are provided with full disclosure in terms of how and why the proposal for 307 redundancies has been made and that alternative cost saving measures must be discussed with staff before the trigger is pulled on redundancies.
“If redundancies are to proceed this will be a major blow for Dundalk especially. Pay Pal has staff from all across Louth and the wider region. Coming hot on the heels of 100 redundancies at National Pen in the town, IDA need to be clear on what their investment and job replacement strategy is for the county.”
