EU Commission show no regard for Irish jobs

national | eu | press release Wednesday September 23, 2009 14:25 by Patricia McKenna - Peoples' Movement

European Commission decision on Dell’s move to Poland a slap in the face for Irish jobs, says McKenna

It is truly ironic that the EU Commission is here in Ireland urging Irish voters to vote Yes to the Lisbon Treaty under the guise of jobs and the economy, while it is allowing new member states, like Poland, to provide massive financial bribes to companies to move their operations out of Ireland. - The EU Commission could not care less about Irish jobs. They just want Lisbon passed so they can get more power for themselves at the expense of the people. says McKenna

Former MEP Patricia McKenna has hit out at the EU Commission over its approval to allow the Polish government to grant €54.5 million in aid to Dell to move its operations from Ireland to Poland. McKenna said, this decision by the European Commission is a slap in the face to Irish workers and exposes the EU’s hypocrisy and disregard for Irish jobs. It is truly ironic that the EU Commission is here in Ireland urging Irish voters to vote Yes to the Lisbon Treaty under the guise of jobs and the economy, while it is allowing new member states, like Poland, to provide massive financial bribes to companies to move their operations out of Ireland.”

Today the European Commission announced that it has approved a plan by the Polish government to grant €54.5 million in aid to Dell for a new manufacturing plant to which the firm is moving production from Ireland.

McKenna said “Its totally unacceptable the EU commission is sanctioning the practice whereby, new member states can bribe and coerce big multinational companies to move their operations from one EU member state to another, leaving thousands unemployed, while it prohibits Ireland from doing the same.”

In January Dell announced it was planning to move its Raheen, Co. Limerick operation to a lower-cost environment in Lodz in Poland with a loss of almost 2,000 Irish jobs. Over 200 jobs were also lost earlier this year from the Dell’s Cherrywood plant in Dublin.

At the weekend it was confirmed that the European Commission has approved a grant of €14.8 million to help the former Dell workers in Ireland find work.

However, McKenna says “It’s a bit rich coming here under a cloud of glory and Lisbon Treaty propaganda to promise money when the core reason for the job losses is being sanctioned by the EU commission.”