Page 119 - Socially-responsible-restructuring-Effective-strategies-for-supporting-redundant-workers

Socially responsible restructuring
Effective strategies for supporting redundant workers

In cooperation with the outsourcing provider, the company has set up a ‘next
move centre’ facility comprising a dedicated room with internet access for use as
a drop-in facility for employees during breaks, as well as before or after work. In
the meantime, employees can access personal guidance via the website or by
telephone. In addition, the Trade Union Centre for the Unemployed has offered
their training rooms so that workers can receive information regarding social
welfare entitlements and related matters.
To help employees further in finding alternative work, the company will use its
internal and external contacts with other employers to seek out vacancies.
Internally, any vacancies in other plants, in Ireland and abroad, are brought to the
attention of the employees. Externally, the intention is to hold jobs fairs at the
plant where other employers with vacancies can come in and, it is hoped, fill
some of their own job vacancies. However, the current economic recession has
hit Ireland particularly hard and the level of vacancies is very low at present.

6.5.4. Cooperation and external capacity
The main public sector body concerned with employment and training services is
the FÁS. Although it does not offer any specialist rapid response service in the
case of large scale redundancies, it can offer access to its services in the shape
of job search support and vacancy information and some funding for short-term
training. However, given the long lead-time of this particular plant closure, the full
effect of these services will not be felt until the final weeks of the rundown when
staff will finally face the reality of the plant closing.
There is no separate nationally available careers agency in Ireland and what
careers advice is available in the public sector is delivered by the FÁS through its
job placement activities. Further, resources in general are being tightened in the
public sector as a direct result of the economic recession and severe financial
crisis in Ireland. Expectations of what support might be available are relatively
low.

6.5.5. Impacts and effects
It is too early to say what effect the limited support given to date has had, though
it is likely to have already started shaping the views and aspirations of the
employees. Individual training needs analyses were carried out by a group of
employee training representatives, supported by the main trade union and the
outplacement company. This indicated a wide range of suggestions for further
training (such as in retail, distribution, care sector, etc.) which could be
interpreted as indicating a certain realism among the workforce about where the
future jobs might be. However, the likelihood is that these views will change over

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