The Communications Workers' Union (CWU) has called on the Government to intervene and insist that outsourcing firm Covalen, which provides services to social media giant Meta, engage with the union over 704 proposed redundancies.
CWU members at Covalen are due to strike on Friday in a dispute over union recognition and redundancy payments for staff facing job losses. It is understood that most of the planned redundancies are within an AI project.
Union political representative and Covalen content analyst Owen O'Reilly said union attempts to engage with the company have been challenging.
"We are trying to negotiate with them, and they're just not willing to negotiate with us. 704 [job] redundancies have been announced. We know that over 500 of them are definite, and what they are offering is just the statutory redundancy," Mr O’Reilly said.
He said many staff have been employed less than one year and subsequently are facing a situation where they will not receive redundancy payment.
"We've written an open letter to the company. We've tried to sit down and speak to the company…and at the moment, it's very much as we're just hitting a wall," he said.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Covalen said the company continues to proactively consult with and support the affected teams through this 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," the spokesperson added.
A spokesperson for the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment said Ireland has a robust suite of employment rights legislation to protect and support workers at risk of redundancy, and that legislation imposes certain legal obligations on employers proposing collective redundancies.
Those obligations include the requirement of employers to engage in an information and consultation process of at least 30 days with employees' representatives and to notify the Minister at least 30 days before the first dismissal takes effect.
The Department said it had received a notification of proposed collective redundancies from Cpl Solutions Limited trading as Covalen on 27 April.
It said that while the minister cannot intervene in individual employer-employee relations, or direct the outcome of any industrial relations dispute, there are well-established dispute-resolution mechanisms available through the Workplace Relations Commission and the Labour Court.
Dept says employees cannot be discriminated against for being union members
Union General Secretary Seán McDonagh called on government to legislate for the right of workers to join unions and to amend legislation on statutory redundancies.
"We're calling government to remove the veto that employers have on the right of workers to join and be represented by the union.
"We're calling on government to reform the legislation for redundancy in circumstances where the minimum is going to be deployed by the company. It's outdated, it's adequate, it's insufficient," he said.
The Department of Enterprise said that employees have the right under the Constitution to form associations and trade unions, and that under legislation, an employee cannot be discriminated against or dismissed because they are a member of a trade union.
Housing, cost of living and health care a 'blight on this government' - CWU president
President of the Communications Workers’ Union Frank Donohoe said the recent announcement by Covalen that it was planning to make 700 workers redundant at its Dublin operation "enraged" members, calling for government intervention.
At the union’s biennial conference in Sligo, Mr Donohoe told delegates that the government needs "to urgently intervene and take heed of the potential impact of AI on jobs across the economy."
He said: "Tech companies like Covalen should not be allowed to eliminate hundreds of jobs with the stroke of a pen without government control.
"The union has sought an urgent meeting with the Taoiseach and the Minister for Enterprise, Peter Burke to seek intervention and to insist that Covalen management engage with the union on the proposed redundancies," he added.
In his presidential address, Mr Donohoe also described challenges in housing, cost of living and healthcare as "a blight on the Government’s term in office".
He said the fuel crisis has added to the challenges in people’s lives and said the fuel protests highlighted the frustration of those suffering the most.
He alleged "attempts by racist elements to hijack these protests were both negative and damaging to the campaign".
His remarks received a rapturous applause from conference delegates.
The two-day conference began this morning. The Communication Workers Union represents employees in a diverse range of companies including An Post, DPD, UPS, Eir, Vodafone, Cornmarket, KN Circet, Microsoft, Accenture, Meta, Google and Covalen.
Government to take heed of the potential impact of AI on jobs
The Department of Enterprise has said artificial intelligence is a transformative technology with major potential for Ireland's economy and society.
They said Government understands the concerns regarding the impact of AI on the labour market and added that it is very likely that new types of jobs will emerge.
They said a new National Digital & AI Strategy commits to supporting workers in managing the impacts of potential job displacement.
They said the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science is progressing a number of initiatives to support workers to adapt to changes arising from AI.
A new National Skills Observatory will be established to analyse labour market dynamics and skills development, identifying gaps in provision, and enabling initiatives.
They said an extensive, all-island study is currently being worked on with UCD will include work on AI and the labour market, evidence that will feed directly into policy.
The Department spokesperson concluded that it was important to note that Ireland's labour-market conditions remain strong.
They said employment stands at 2.83 million, up 56,700 year-on-year to the final quarter of 2025.
