Agencies told create south-east jobs plan

JOBS Minister Richard Bruton has ordered state agencies to come up with a south-east employment action plan after admitting he is “not happy” with the Industrial Development Authority’s job creation performance.

It comes as MEP Sean Kelly said he would discuss the potential funding options for the 575 Waterford Talk Talk workers facing redundancy when he meets European Employment Commissioner Laszlo Andor this week.

Mr Bruton yesterday met staff and management at Talk Talk, which is set to close in less than a month.

He admitted that he does not have a “magic wand” to find an alternative employer for the staff.

After a series of meetings, at which he also expressed his “dismay” at the manner in which Talk Talk management handled last week’s shock announcement and the short 30-day consultation period before it closes down, Mr Bruton said there is a “serious unemployment problem” in Waterford.

Both he and IDA chief executive Barry O’Leary spoke of the need to carry out a “deep dive” of the situation in Waterford “to see what it is that is holding it back and see can we start to remedy that in a systematic way”.

Mr Bruton said: “I think people were very frustrated but we have to get on with it now. We have expressed our protest but we recognise now that we have to make the best of it and that’s the message I got from the workers as well.”

Mr Bruton has given the relevant state agencies, including the IDA, Enterprise Ireland and the city and county enterprise boards, 30 days to come up with a south-east employment action plan.

“We recognise that Waterford has an acute unemployment problem which has been particularly severely hit over recent years. It didn’t particularly share effectively in the good years and we need to see an effective programme,” he said.

Yesterday’s series of meetings included consultations with local politicians and commercial interests, some of whom spoke about their dealings with the IDA.

Mr Bruton said he was not going to give any commitments regarding specific job creation projects for the region: “I’m not here to say I can wave a magic wand. The creation of employment and enterprise opportunities take a long period of discussion and negotiation.

“What I want to see is that the weakness that has been experienced in Waterford in recent years, that we start to systematically address that.”

In relation to Waterford Institute of Technology’s application for university status, he said Education Minister Ruairí Quinn has set in motion a consultation process for implementing a “technological university” format.

But he added: “I don’t see university being the solution to everything. Waterford Institute of Technology is already doing very significant and worthwhile things.”

Meanwhile, Mr Kelly is due to meet Mr Andor in Strasbourg tomorrow morning.

Upon hearing about the imminent job losses in Waterford, Mr Kelly contacted the European Commission proposing that the Talk Talk workers are eligible to benefit from the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund.

This supports workers who lose their jobs as a result of changing global trade patterns so that they can find another job as quickly as possible.

The Fine Gael MEP for Ireland South says he’s hopeful for a positive outcome from the meeting.