21/10/2011

Unite Fights To Save Aviva Jobs

Aviva workers have decided to hold a ballot on a campaign for industrial action following the announcement that the health insurance giant will cut its work force in half.

Around 500 staff attended a meeting with trade union officials in Dublin last night and have said they will not support the plan.

Jimmy Kelly from Unite - which represents 1,300 of the 2,000 Aviva workers - said the ballot proposal would now be put to the other staff around the country.

"We're not cooperating with this plan…decisions will be taken as to what's the most appropriate level of action," he said.

Yesterday it was confirmed that insurance giant Aviva will cut its Irish work force in half over the next two years and outsource a further 300 staff.

This will amount to 950 redundancies in total- with the losses being described as necessary to make "a stronger, leaner business"- they are expected to take effect from next March.

Igal Mayer, Chief Executive of Aviva Europe, said its costs in Ireland have to be reduced to protect the long-term future of the company.

The Unite has said it is willing to come up with alternative cost-cutting measures, if it means preventing some of the 950 redundancies announced by the company yesterday.

Unite Trade Union said Aviva staff were not "just going to accept" the 950 job losses.

"They want us to go in and test the figures and fight to save every possible job we could."

Meanwhile Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore has described the treatment of workers in Aviva as "disgraceful".

Mr Gilmore criticised the fashion in which the employees were called in and not given much information about their futures.

See: Aviva Axe 950 Jobs

(LB/BMcC)

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