The announcement of 107 job losses at Shannon Aerospace is an economic disaster for the workers and the region as a whole. My sympathies are with the employees and their families. All government agencies must be tasked with assisting these workers in whatever way they can, be it through re-training or assistance in availing of alternative employment. With 10 weeks to Christmas, it is a terribly upsetting time for many families in Shannon, who had little prior notice of this announcement.
Indeed, only last May we had assurances and commitments from Shannon Aerospace that they were expanding their operation at Shannon Airport. The company set up in the region towards the end of the 1980s and has been a good employer for the past two decades. This news today is a further damming indictment of the lack of targeted government action towards the region. It also begs the question as to how this situation could arise given the company’s plans as outlined last May. The only answer is that the lack of government action in the region has allowed this economic malady to set in.
The Mid-West region is in crisis, with almost 11,000 people in County Clare alone on the live register. I also understand from contacts in government agencies on the ground, that the future of Elsevier is bleak. My information is that there is a possibility the company may look to wind down its operation at Shannon over the coming years with the loss of olies. All government agencies must be tasked with assisting these workers in whatever way they can, be it through re-training or assistance in availing of alternative employment. With 10 weeks to Christmas, it is a terribly upsetting time for many families in Shannon, who had little prior notice of this announcement.
Indeed, only last May we had assurances and commitments from Shannon Aerospace that they were expanding their operation at Shannon Airport. The company set up in the region towards the end of the 1980s and has been a good employer for the past two decades. This news today is a further damming indictment of the lack of targeted government action towards the region. It also begs the question as to how this situation could arise given the comp