Kellogg plans to eliminate up to 58 jobs in Dublin

Staff to be offered redundancy package of just three weeks’ pay per year of service

Cereal giant Kellogg is proposing to cut up to 58 roles from its Irish operation as part of a restructuring of its European business.

The multinational, which made an operating profit of $1.7 billion (€1.5 billion) in 2018, said staff would be offered a redundancy package of just three weeks’ pay per year of service, one week above the statutory minimum.

The company said some of the staff impacted by the move would be offered redeployment opportunities. It said the proposals would also see the creation of 66 new roles in Ireland. This would leave its total Dublin headcount largely unchanged at 230.

“We will, of course, consider those employees who are at risk of redundancy for those roles, where suitable,” the company said in a document circulated to staff at its Dublin office in Swords.

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Geneva transfer

“We therefore anticipate the actual number of dismissals due to redundancy to reduce,” it said.

In May, Kellogg announced the closure of its base in Geneva, Switzerland, and a complete restructure of its European business in a bid to reduce duplication and cut costs.

The move will see its European snacks and cereal businesses folded into one operation run from its regional headquarters in Dublin. As part of this, staff will be relocated from Geneva to Dublin Airport Central, a major new office development in the heart of the airport campus.

The company is in the process of moving its Dublin hub from Airside Business Park in Swords to the airport campus.

Dublin Airport

The firm is to relocate its Irish and European office staff to Three Dublin Airport Central, a six-storey block located close to Terminal 2.

“ Kellogg can confirm that the company is proposing a number of changes to our business structure, which will remove complexity from our European regional business and enable us to make the right investment choices to fuel our future growth plans,” the company said in a statement.

“As part of that, we will be establishing a single hub based in our new office location at Dublin Airport. While there will be some redundancies in Dublin, our total employee numbers will remain broadly the same at approximately 230 people,” it said.

“Consistent with our company values and how we always do things at Kellogg, we will treat our people fairly, with dignity and respect,” it added.

Eoin Burke-Kennedy

Eoin Burke-Kennedy

Eoin Burke-Kennedy is Economics Correspondent of The Irish Times