'Save our jobs' plea from Quinn workers

Some 110 employees from the Quinn Direct Insurance offices in Navan were among the thousands of employees who marched in Dublin yesterday (Tuesday) morning in protest at the Financial Regulator's decision to stop the company from writing new business in the UK, amid fears for their jobs. More than 200 people are employed at Quinn's Navan headquarters, which opened last June, and staff members were shocked when news broke last week that provisional administrators had been appointed to the company and the Financial Regulator had ordered the insurance company to cease writing new business in Northern Ireland and the UK. Members of Navan Town Council were also due to discuss the impact of the announcement at their meeting last night (Tuesday) and Mayor Cllr Joe Reilly said they would be asking the County ManagerTom Dowling, who was instrumental in bringing company to Navan, to contact the Quinn Group for assurances that jobs in the town are secure. Michelle Shaw from Navan, who works in the Navan office, said people are very worried at the moment and are very concerned about the future of their jobs if the Financial Regulator does not overturn his decision. "The majority of people are pretty worried at the minute because the administrator was appointed and we didn't have any warnings that it was going to happen. It is a big shock to everyone and we don't really know what's happening." She explained that the UK and Northern Ireland is a big market for the company and her department deals with the UK market. Ms Shaw was one of the 110 people from the Navan offices who took part in a protest in Dublin yesterday (Tuesday) where protestors handed in letters to the Departments of Finance and the Taoiseach, calling on the Financial Regulator to overturn his decision to stop Quinn writing new insurance in the UK. The uncertainty is not just affecting those working in the Navan offices, but also the many Meath people who are employed in the company's other offices in Cavan and Blanchardstown. Brendan McGoona from Navan is also very concerned and was one of the estimated 4,000 people who turned out for the protests in Dublin and Cavan. He works in the IT Department in Cavan. He said: "There is a lot of work going on behind closed doors that we are not hearing about. I am sure the administrators have a plan at this stage but we don't know if they want to sell us off, or make us more profitable and hand the business back to Quinn. We don't know what the future holds. We all have families to support and most of us have mortgages," he said. He added: "Our main concern is that Quinn Insurance can do no more quoting in Northern Ireland and the UK. It is not just Enniskillen that is affected. It is also Cavan, Navan and Blanchardstown where there are customer care departments, commercial insurance and the claims department." Mr McGoona said that when Dell was pulling out of Limerick with the loss of 1,100 jobs, the Government "did cartwheels" to stop them pulling out and pointed out that 2,200 jobs were on the line. He added that Quinn Insurance is an indigenous company and is making a profit. Navan Mayor Joe Reilly said: "My first concern is that whatever difficulty there is within the company, that is has no knock-on effect on employment. We want to see the company flourish to the maxiumum employment of up to 700 in the industry in the town. In uncertain economic times, there are concerns that the company would continue to flourish. In an economic downturn, any little thing can unbalance the town's employment. I will be asking the county manager who was central in the company coming to Nvan to contact the Quinn Group to seek assure that the jobs here are secure." Damien English TD, Fine Gael's Small Business and Labour Affairs Spokesperson, commented: "Quinn Insurance is a key employer in Navan and for the whole north-east region. The Government must do everything possible to protect these jobs and also ensure that policy-holders can continue to be covered in a normal manner." Speaking about the situation in Quinn Insurance, Meath East TD Thomas Byrne said that he appreciated that a lot of local people work in Quinn Insurance in both Cavan and Navan.