TTIP fears played down

Fears over the number of workers that would be displaced as a result of a proposed transatlantic trade agreement are unjustified and pale in significance when compared to the natural rise and fall of Irish industries, the jobs minister claimed yesterday.

Speaking at a joint Oireachtas committee hearing on the proposed Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), Minister Richard Bruton said an estimated 0.7% of EU workers would lose their jobs as certain industries wane in importance and others grow in their place.

According to Sinn Féin TD Peadar Tóibín this would translate to approximately 13,000 displaced workers in Ireland as their roles became obsolete.