Irish staff at health tech firm Merative protest redundancy plans outside Dublin office

In August, around 250 staff members were informed their job was at risk. So far, Merative has not confirmed which roles will be cut

Staff and Unite the Union representatives protesting outside Merative's office at City Quay, Dublin

More than 600 people have signed a petition calling on the Irish arm of healthcare technology firm, Merative to allow more than 250 employees at risk of redundancy more time to consult with management.

Attending a protest outside its Dublin offices on Thursday, at-risk staff called for talks to continue beyond the mandatory timeframe, with one adding that Merative still had "no plan in place," for employees.

The company, headquartered in the US, announced that it would cut 100 jobs in its Dublin office, representing around 25% of its Irish headcount. 

In August, around 250 staff members were issued emails by the company informing them that their job was at risk. So far, Merative has not confirmed which roles will be cut, with that decision expected next week.

Following the announcement, the firm entered a mandatory 30-day consultation period with at-risk employees, during which, the petition claims a "meaningful consultation" discussing the potential to avoid dismissals, reduce the numbers to be dismissed and mitigate the consequences of any dismissals with a view to reaching agreement on a fair package has not taken place. 

Attending the protest outside its Irish office on City Quay in Dublin's Docklands on Thursday, at-risk employees and supporters have called for the consultation period - which ends tomorrow, October 6th - to be extended to allow for engagement with union representatives on the approach they have put forward.

Founded in 2022, Merative - formerly known as the IBM-owned Watson Health - was bought by US private equity firm, Francisco Partners, with Merative's headquarters based in the US state of Michigan.

The company specialises in data, analytics and technology within the health industry, with clients spanning across governments, life sciences and healthcare providers. Within the company are several solution areas, referred to as the "Big Six," which include Irish-founded Cúram, Marketscan, Health Insights, Merge, Zelta, and Micromedex.

"We are coming to the end of the consultation period and nothing has improved," one at-risk employee told the Irish Examiner.

 "Merative has offered no concessions on any of our requests, nobody is happy with what they are offering. They have no sincere intention to reduce the number of cuts. Overall, it has just been really disappointing."

Irish-founded Cúram - one of Merative's "Big Six" - serves a number of high-level state departments across countries including the US, Australia, Canada, Germany and the UK.

"You can imagine the disruption that will be likely caused by Merative cutting 25% of its Irish arm, these customers are in trouble too," the employee continued. 

In a statement, Merative said they were nearing the conclusion of a 30-day consultation process in which employee representatives have participated. "The representatives have frequently met with at-risk employees, dutifully gathered feedback, and provided daily updates. These representatives have also been meeting with Merative leadership multiple times a week to share employee input."

"We have been conducting this consultation process in good faith and have sincerely considered the feedback provided. We expect to complete the process soon," the statement said.