Dell employs 4,500 staff in Ireland and accounts for 6% of GNP. 250 people are being made redundant from the Sales, Marketing and Support facility at Cherrywood, County Dublin (Irish Times today).
Jobs are being affected by the double whammy of world recession and competition from cheaper locations.
The construction of a new manufacturing plant at Lodz, Poland, is also making workers at the Limerick plant anxious. Last night's "Where has my Job Gone" on RTE One stated that an average family in Poland lives on 650€ a month.
Firstly, sorry to everybody who has lost their job, and hope you get fixed up soon.
Secondly, if you were working for a company like Dell, would you consider migration to Poland, where the economy is growing faster and where there may well be greater opportunities in the next ten years?
And, realistically, are there any measures that can be taken to encourage firms like Dell to remain in Ireland?