EU criticised for allowing Poland give aid to Dell

GRANT AID:FORMER MEP and People's Movement chairwoman Patricia McKenna has joined Sinn Féin in criticising the European Commission's approval of Poland's plan to grant €54.5 million in aid to Dell.

The US computer company is moving production from Ireland to a new manufacturing plant in Poland, and the Polish government is giving aid to the factory.

Ms McKenna claimed the decision was a “slap in the face” to Irish workers, and described as “ironic” the commission’s behaviour given it was “urging Irish voters to vote Yes to the Lisbon Treaty under the guise of jobs and the economy”.

Sinn Féin Dáil leader Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin called the commission’s decision a “disgrace”, and said the announcement would be greeted with outrage in Limerick and throughout Ireland.

“Earlier this year Dell announced that they were relocating the European centre of operations from Ireland to Poland with the loss of 1,900 jobs from their plant in Limerick,” Mr Ó Caoláin said.

“Taking much-needed jobs from one of the most economically-deprived regions of one member state and allowing them to be relocated in an equally-deprived region of another member state simply defies logic.”

The Sinn Féin TD said the treaty gave additional powers to the commission on a range of economic policy areas. He called on the Government to explain how economic recovery and job-creation could come about when the commission took such decisions.

People Before Profit (PBP) councillor Joan Collins described the role of the Labour Party and the trade union movement in the referendum campaign as “shameful”.

Ms Collins, who represents Crumlin-Kimmage on Dublin City Council, said an “unholy alliance” of businesspeople and politicians was attempting to scare voters into accepting the treaty.

Speaking at a PBP meeting in Crumlin last night, she said: “It is absolutely shameful that the leaders of the trade union movement and the Labour Party should be joining in this chorus of threats rather than engaging in a real debate about the treaty.”

Ms Collins insisted there was no reference to job-creation in the treaty. She claimed the policies of the Government and the EU had led the State into recession and would not be able to bring about economic recovery. “Indeed, they will lead to further pain for ordinary taxpayers.”

Ms Collins also said treaty contained threats to public services, “will lead to the further militarisation of the EU, and will copper-fasten recent European Court rulings subordinating workers’ rights to those of big business”.

Joe Higgins, the Socialist Party MEP for Dublin, accused the commission of “brazen” intervention in the debate on the treaty. He said he had written to commission president José Manuel Barroso complaining about the visit to Ireland of Antonio Tajani, vice-president of the commission and commissioner for transport.

On Tuesday, Mr Tajani travelled with Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary, who was promoting the airline’s Yes To Europe campaign in the west, south and east of the country.

Mr Higgins said the trade union leadership should ask itself why Mr O’Leary was advocating a Yes vote. “It is certainly not because he believes that Lisbon will improve workers’ rights. It is because the anti-worker agenda which Mr O’Leary typifies lies at the heart of the treaty.”