ICTU urges Government to lobby General Motors

A TASK FORCE should be set up immediately along the lines of the one established in Galway after Digital closed, the general secretary of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions said yesterday.

Mr Peter Cassells called for a two pronged approach by the Government to tackling the problems arising from the Packard closure decision by General Motors.

The Government should also organise "a concerted and determined lobbying campaign" to persuade General Motors not to turn its back on the 800 workers.

He said that an opportunity existed for the company to undo some of the damage it had done itself "by the disgraceful way they are discarding their workforce in Tallaght".

General Motors, he said, must find a productive use for the Tallaght plant. It was not credible that a company so vast could find no better use for the factory than to close the doors and walk away".

The Archbishop of Dublin, Dr Connell, said the closure added to his concern about unemployment in large areas of Dublin.

"I learned this morning with deep sadness of the decision to close the Packard company in Tallaght with the consequent loss of more than 800 jobs. I want to join with all those who are expressing their concern. For an area such as Tallaght, which already has a grossly disproportionate rate of unemployment, this is a cruel blow.

Unions at the plant said they were "shocked" at the announcement. Workers had "sacrificed a tremendous amount" over the past two years to ensure the plant remained viable. Earlier this year they had offered the possibility of increased productivity but the company had refused to enter negotiations on the matter.

Mr Mick O'Reilly, of the ATGWU, described the news as "a devastating blow to the Tallaght area" which was one of the country's biggest unemployment black spots.