Unions have called on the Government to use its EU presidency to introduce greater protections for workers following a wave of job losses in the tech sector.
Microsoft, Meta, TikTok, Oracle, Amazon, Covalen and Genpact are among the companies that have announced layoffs in recent weeks, with many of the redundancies linked to the increased adoption of AI.
The Communications Workers’ Union (CWU) represents workers in the tech sector.
Sean McDonagh, CWU General Secretary, said it is important to recognise that the redundancy announcements are happening as Ireland begins its Presidency of the European Council.
“The Irish Government has a social and moral obligation, particularly as it chairs the European Council, to demand that tech companies respect the basic rights of workers in Ireland and right across the European Union,” Mr McDonagh said.
“EU worker protections must be applied in full to protect the workers, and indeed the economic activity and state funding that their social contributions and their financial contributions support,” he added.
The Financial Services Union (FSU) represents workers in the financial services, fintech, and tech sector.
It is calling for the statutory 30-day consultation period for collective redundancies to be updated to create a fairer, transparent, and equal system.
The FSU said the current legislation does not require the employer to engage with a trade union, nor does it provide an incentive or onus on the employer to reach an agreement.
“The last twelve months have seen considerable retrenchment in staff levels in the fintech and technology sector,” said Gareth Murphy, Head of Industrial Relations and Campaigns with the FSU.
“Recent job loss announcements in TikTok, Meta and Covalen have added to the ever-increasing numbers of employees dealing with the prospect of redundancy.”
“It is vital we have a fair, transparent, and equal system that protects the interests of the employee,” Mr Murphy said.
