Last-ditch bid to save Quinn jobs

Intensive last-ditch efforts to protect the future of 600 Meath jobs in Quinn Insurance are underway this week in advance of an announcement on redundancies that is expected to be made by the company's administrators on Friday. Some 200 people are employed in Quinn's Navan offices and a further 400 staff from the company's Blanchardstown offices are resident in Meath, which means wholesale job losses would be a massive blow to the county, were they to happen. While the Financial Regulator has permitted Quinn Insurance to recommence selling motor insurance to provisional licence holders in the UK, this represents just seven to 10 per cent of Quinn's business there. Approximately 50 per cent of Quinn Insurance's business overall is the UK market and the loss of this business is particularly impacting on the Navan office where 85 per cent of staff deal with the Northern Ireland and UK market. Employees received notification from the company's joint administrators last Thursday that they say clearly signifies the start of the redundancy process. They said this is a devastating blow to employees who have tirelessly been campaigning for the reopening of the Northern Ireland/UK business so that staff levels could be maintained. Administrator Michael McAteer informed employees that they are currently assessing the impact of the reduced UK business, in particular, on staffing levels and stated that they would not be able to continue as they are. An assessment of staffing levels is currently being carried out, which is expected to be completed by this Friday when staff will be updated on the findings. The process of electing staff representatives is underway in Navan and Quinn's other offices. Staff are continuing to highlight the need for more of the UK market to be reopened to Quinn to sustain jobs in the company. A delegation from Meath County Council is to meet with the administrators today (Wednesday), while Fine Gael TDs Damien English and Leo Varadkar were due to meet with them last night (Tuesday). On Thursday, following a proposal by Deputy English, an employee representative group from Quinn Insurance has been invited into Leinster House to outline their concerns to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Enterprise, Trade and Employment regarding the current situation they find themselves in. Meanwhile, Fianna Fail TD Thomas Byrne and other members of the Oireachtas from Meath, as well as Meath County Council chairman William Carey, will meet with the Financial Regulator next Wednesday, 5th May. The delegation from Meath County Council who will meet with the administrators today (Wednesday) includes council chairman William Carey together with the party whips John Farrelly, Shane Cassells, Eoin Holmes, Brian Fitzgerald and the council's director of economic development Kevin Stewart. They will impress upon the administrators their support to retain jobs in Navan and to recognise that 40 per cent of staff in Blanchardstown are resident in Meath. They will also be highlighting the benefits of Navan as a location and bringing forward other questions raised by staff members in meetings. Deputy English, who was due to meet with the administrators last night, said: "The Quinn employees gave us a very comprehensive briefing on the situation and Fine Gael has been in regular contact with their spokesman since. Last Thursday, we called on the Regulator to expedite his decision on re-opening more of the UK market to Quinn". Deputy Thomas Byrne, on behalf of his Oireachtas colleagues in Meath, has confirmed that the Financial Regulator has agreed to meet a delegation at the Central Bank next Wednesday comprising the Oireachtas members from County Meath concerning the Quinn Insurance situation. The chairman of Meath County Council, Cllr William Carey, has also been invited. "Following the recent meeting at Quinn in Navan, I contacted the Financial Regulator, on behalf of my Oireachtas colleagues, to seek a meeting with him to clarify the regulatory difficulties preventing the further opening up of the UK/NI market. So many jobs in the Navan and Blanchardstown offices of Quinn depend on this market," said Deputy Byrne. He added: "All of us, however, have absolutely supported the independence of the Financial Regulator and the meeting will not seek to interfere with this - we will be focusing on jobs and the difficulties being faced in reopening the all important UK market." Separate motions regarding Quinn Insurance have been put forward for next Tuesday's meeting of Navan Town Council by Cllr Jim Holloway and Cllr Peadar Tóibín. Cllr Holloway's motion states: "Navan Town Council calls on the Government and the administrators of Quinn Insurance to recognise the importance of retaining the workforce at Quinn Navan and to ensure that the range of skills and new capacity at Quinn Navan is not lost in efforts to ensure sound financial management at the company." A motion by Cllr Tóibín that Navan Town Council calls on the governement to do all within its power to save the jobs which are under threat in Quinn Direct Navan, is also due to be discussed. Anton McCabe, president of the Meath branch of SIPTU, has expressed his concern regarding the uncertain future of the Quinn Insurance workers employed at the Navan branch of Quinn Insurance. Cllr McCabe said he has been approached over the past weeks by employees of Quinn who are uncertain about their future and expressed their concern about the lack of information being given to them, with many saying they had to rely on the national and local media to inform them on the progress of the regulator's investigation of the Quinn group.