Martin rejects claims over Motorola job losses

ENTERPRISE Minister Micheal Martin last night rejected claims he did nothing to prevent imminent job losses at the Motorola plant in Cork.

He admitted he had known since last year that the plant was in difficulty. But neither he nor the Industrial Development Agency (IDA) was aware that Motorola was considering shutting the plant, he said.

Motorola announced on Monday that it was initiating an “employee consultation process” regarding the future of the plant, where 330 people are employed.

The company is considering whether to cease all engineering functions carried out at the site. Given that engineering accounts for the vast majority of work there, it is likely all 330 workers would be made redundant if Motorola proceeds with its plan.

Last night, Mr Martin was involved in heated exchanges on the subject with Fine Gael TD Bernard Allen, Labour TD Kathleen Lynch, and Green TD Dan Boyle in the Dáil.

Mr Allen and Ms Lynch both said the minister knew as early as the first week in January that jobs were in danger at the plant.

Ms Lynch pointed to a letter sent to Mr Martin’s office by the husband of a Motorola employee who warned that the plant was “on the verge of closing down.”

Mr Allen cited the same letter, and contrasted that with a local radio interview given by Mr Martin on Tuesday in which he said no one had expected the plant would close.

Mr Boyle demanded the minister explain “what was known when,” saying the manner of Motorola’s announcement smacked of careful “news management” by the company and the Government.

But Mr Martin responded: “The methodology by which a company announces its decisions is entirely 100% a matter for the company. I have no role in that; the IDA have no role in that.

“The idea that a Government minister in Ireland is responsible for Motorola’s difficult international performance is a crazy kind of notion to be putting forward,” he said.