Labour calls for debate on job losses

Labour today called for a Dáil debate on the number of job losses that have hit the economy in 2008.

Party leader Eamon Gilmore detailed more than 1,000 redundancies since the New Year and claimed hundreds more were under threat.

The Dun Laoghaire TD raised the issue with Tánaiste and Minister for Finance Brian Cowen during the Order of Business in the Dáil.

Listing the job losses, Mr Gilmore said: “360 in Allergan in Arklow, 220 in Jacob’s Fruitfield, 60 at Britvic in Cork, 400 in the Burlington Hotel and 1,500 under threat at SR Technics.”

The Dun Laoghaire TD also said that construction employment was down by 5.4% and there were 15,000 more people on the Live Register compared with this time last year.

“Yesterday some economic experts said unemployment is going to reach 6% by the end of 2008.”

“Given the huge amount of job losses we are now seeing, will the Government give an opportunity to the House to discuss the matter,” he asked.

Workers at the Allergan plant, which manufactured silicon breast implants, will be holding talks about their future with unions in coming days.

The Government said Enterprise Ireland, the Fás training agency and IDA Ireland will prioritise the Arklow area for alternative employment.

Central Bank governor John Hurley yesterday told an Oireachtas Finance Committee that the state’s current 4.6% unemployment rate was low by international standards.

“We would see that increasing in the course of this year but it will still be a moderate increase. We will still be in a strong comparative situation in relation to other countries,” he said.