Dell fallout continues as suppliers Banta and Flextronics lay off staff

LIMERICK has been hit with more job losses following huge lay-offs at Dell.

Banta, which supplies Dell’s plant in the city, yesterday said it is to lay off 65 workers.

The company makes computer parts for Dell and employs 700 at Raheen industrial estate, where Dell is also located.

The company has told staff that it wants 65 voluntary redundancies — 55 front-line staff and 10 from management.

Dell let go up to 700 temporary staff last weekend.

Another Dell supplier, Flextronics, is laying off 100 of its 290 workers.

The terms of the Banta lay-offs are to include six-and-a-half weeks pay for each year of service, including the two-week statutory allowance.

Workers have been given to today to put their names forward for redundancy, otherwise compulsory lay-offs will be put into effect.

Although SIPTU are not recognised within Banta, some workers have approached the union for advice.

Mary McElligott, assistant branch organiser with SIPTU said: “People are basically telling me they are afraid to consider signing up because there is no opportunity out there to gain employment going forward.”

Jan O’Sullivan, TD, said these latest job losses added to the worries about the future of Dell.

She said the job losses cannot be separated from the loss of international connection flights at Shannon, which are essential to multinational companies.

Michael Noonan, TD, said: “Banta’s only customer is Dell so that is the kick on from the reduced production signalled by Dell’s letting go of 700 contract workers. The losses are a symptom of Dell’s production being reduced because their suppliers do not have the same demand.”

Mr Noonan has called on Tánaiste Mary Coughlan to seek a meeting with Michael Dell during the industrial promotion visit she is currently making to the US.

He said the government must come clean with the Limerick public about what they have been told at recent meetings with Dell management.

Two years ago Banta left off 200 of its then 350-strong workforce in Cork when they moved some of their operations to a new base in the Czech Republic.