Workers at outsourcing firm Covalen, who are members of the Communications Workers' Union (CWU), have staged a protest at the Dublin headquarters of Meta.
Last month, Covalen, which provides content moderation and AI training services for Meta, informed staff and the Government of around 720 potential redundancies.
In March, Meta announced plans to use advanced AI systems in the future, which it said would reduce its reliance on third-party suppliers for content moderation.
Pickets were also placed at Covalen's offices as part of a dispute over redundancy payments and union recognition.
CWU Head of Organising Fionnuala Ní Bhrógáin said outsourced workers cannot continue to act as "the shock absorbers for the AI transition".
"These workers carried out essential work for Meta every single day," Ms Ní Bhrógáin said.
"Yet when their jobs are threatened and disappear, they are treated as somebody else’s problem," she added.
A spokesperson for Meta said over the next few years it will be deploying more advanced AI systems to transform its approach to content enforcement and operations across its platforms.
"As we do that, we’ll be reducing our reliance on third-party vendors and strengthening our internal systems," the spokesperson said.
"We’re approaching this transformation thoughtfully, and will continue to regularly report on how these more advanced AI systems are performing," Meta said.
In a statement, Covalen said the company continues to proactively consult with and support affected teams through the current transition.
"We also continue to follow the required processes in line with our obligations.
"All employees have access to our employee wellbeing support through Covalen’s Employee Assistance Programme," a spokesperson said.
In November 2025, Covalen commenced consultation with staff in relation to a previous round of redundancies.
More than 400 roles were under threat at the time but ultimately around 300 redundancies occurred.
