EU hopes to process Dell funds quickly

THE European Commission said it hopes to quickly process the Government’s application for millions of euro to help retrain and find jobs for the Dell workers laid off over the past two months.

The commissioner responsible for the crisis fund Vladimir Spidla will visit Limerick next week to meet the redundant workers.

He will also meet the Tánaiste Mary Coughlan who has been responsible for submitting the application for funds.

The commission could not say how long it will be before they give their decision on providing funds.

However, it is expected to take no longer than a few weeks as the Government has worked very closely with the commission in formulating the application.

The request is expected to eventually cover not just the 1,900 redundant Dell workers, but also the many thousands of others who could lose their jobs also as they depend on Dell contracts.

The Government has already started retraining programmes in Shannon, which will be visited by Mr Spidla during his two-day trip.

The EU is expected to fund up to 75% of the cost of retraining, helping people set up business for themselves or helping them relocate to find work.

Mr Spidla will also visit two housing estates in Limerick with very high unemployment and extensive social problems – Moyross and Southill – where the EU is funding programmes on social inclusion and training. He will also have meetings with ICTU and the union SIPTU.

The fund was originally set up to look after workers losing their jobs as a result of globalisation, when companies moved their operations to cheaper countries outside the EU.

However, the regulations were changed to allow it to benefit workers suffering as a result of the economic crisis.

Dell is phasing out 1,900 jobs this year from their plant in Raheen, Co Limerick, as part of the US company’s $3 billion (€2.1bn) cost-cutting measures.

They are relocating the work to a new plant in Poland.