KENNY CALLS FOR JOBS CERTAINTY AT CADBURYS COOLOCK

Posted on April 22, 2015 3:32 PM   |   Permanent Link   

Speaking during a Topical Issues debate on the matter. Dublin Bay North Labour TD Sean Kenny today called on everything possible to be done for the workers at the Cadbury's plant in Coolock who have been told that 63 jobs were going to be lost. "Workers were told almost two months ago that 63 jobs would be lost at the Cadbury plant in Coolock, as a consequence of the transfer of the production of the Timeout bar to Poland. Myself and other North Dublin deputies obtained topical issue debate at that time to try to identify how these jobs could be saved or how other job opportunities could be found for the workers affected all of whom live in the North Dublin area, and how the impact of this on the local economy could be mitigated. Cadburys' has been an iconic brand supporting quality Irish jobs and the impact of these job losses will badly effect local communities." "At a meeting of the trade unions representation Cadbury's Coolock workers on Friday last to which public representatives were invited I was disappointed to be told that nothing really has happened in the meantime to address the situation." "Last month North Dublin TD's were informed that the promised inter-agency group including Enterprise Ireland, IDA, Department of Social Protection, Partnership Agencies, Local Enterprise offices, and Citizens Information would be set up as a matter of urgency to deal with the 63 job losses. We were informed on Friday at the meeting with the unions that employee representatives were not aware of such a body and up to last Friday they had not been contacted by anyone in this regard." "At this meeting the Cadbury workers appealed to their TD's to ensure that everything possible is done to prevent the job losses. The loss of tonnes of production at the Coolock plant is damaging their competitive position compared to other Mondelez sites outside of Ireland and this they believe further threatens the viability of the manufacturing unit in Coolock. In 2010 they lost 90 jobs in a restructuring programme, in 2012 they lost 24 jobs when the bean processing plant closed, and as recently as last September they lost a further 35 jobs from their site in Coolock." "We have been told that there is a lack of information being made available to the employees in relation to the viability of the Mondelez operation at Cadburys Coolock. The employees need this information so that they can develop a counter proposal." "I note that Minister English, who took the debate in place of Minister Bruton, said that meetings would take place between the inter-agency group and workers representatives on the 5th or 6th of May, and I welcome that. I would ask Minister Bruton to make certain that everything that is capable of being done in this sistuation, in terms of trying to save the jobs, or else to minimise the effect of the proposed redundancies on the wider community, can be done."