Minister of State and Clare Deputy Tony Killeen has warmly welcomed the decision of the European Commission (EC) to approve a grant of EUR14.8m to help former workers at Dell to find new jobs.The approval, which is now subject to agreement by the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union (EU), follows the Government’s application to the European Commission for emergency EU aid to retrain workers affected by the job losses at Dell’s facility in Raheen.
Minister of State Killeen said the announcement by EC President José Manuel Barroso regarding Ireland’s successful European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) Application was a significant step forward in supporting training and other active labour market measures for the 2000 Dell workers being made redundant at Raheen and in ancillary enterprises such as Banta Global Turnkey. According to the Clare Deputy: “This significant grant, should it be approved by the European Parliament and the Council of the EU, will help to support the training and other active labour market measures for the many of workers affected in the Mid West region and to ensure that they benefit in a way that meets their individual needs and gives them well-grounded hope for future employment through training opportunities.”
“The Government, with the support of regional agencies and other relevant bodies such as FÁS, Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland and the Mid West Region’s City and County Enterprise Boards, remains committed to providing assistance to manufacturing employees at Dell in their efforts to source new employment and upskill themselves where necessary”, Minister of State Killeen added.
The European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) aims to support workers, mainly in regions and sectors, which have been disadvantaged by exposure to the globalised economy. It has a maximum annual budget of 500 million euros to facilitate the reintegration into employment of 35000 to 50000 workers. Ireland is one of the first countries to benefit from the Fund.
