A move by recruitment firm Indeed to factor individual employee’s willingness to accept voluntary redundancy into the selection process for its current round of job cuts has been welcomed by the Financial Services Union (FSU), but the basic terms on offer to departing employees are still not good enough, it says.
Indeed, which was established in Ireland in 2012 and employs more than 1,200 people, is seeking about 70 redundancies as part of a global restructuring programme.
It is the second round of redundancies in quick succession to impact the company’s Irish workforce with about 220 staff let go last year as part of a wider cost cutting exercise.
The company’s chief executive officer (CEO), Chris Hyams, said the new round of job losses has not been prompted by financial concerns but rather by a desire to simplify the organisation’s structures and minimise duplication.
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About 175 staff are reported to have been told they were at risk of losing their jobs at the company’s Irish offices which serve as the firm’s Europe Middle East and Africa (EMEA) headquarters. The company’s Irish arm, Indeed Ireland Operations Limited, reported profits of €783 million for the 15-month period to March 31st of last year.
Consultations started recently in relation to the job losses with the company saying that performance would be the main factor in deciding who would be chosen to be let go. On Friday, however, it confirmed that an indication from employees of their willingness to take a redundancy package on a voluntary basis would be one of the factors now taken into account when selecting who will go.
On Tuesday, the FSU welcomed the move and said the numbers required could be comfortably achieved on a voluntary basis with far more than 70 having expressed an interest in departing in a recent survey of staff.
However, the union’s head of industrial relations and campaigns, Gareth Murphy, said the redundancy terms on offer should be improved.
“The small move by the company on voluntary redundancies is welcome but we need to be vigilant to ensure this is a meaningful commitment by the company on a voluntary first approach to redundancy,” Mr Murphy said.
“However, in a meeting [with] staff we have [been] informed by workers that they are understandably unhappy with two elements of the redundancy terms.”
The company has offered a minimum of 16 weeks pay per person plus statutory redundancy, with one week’s pay for each year in excess of five years’ service.
“Workers are rightly demanding that long service be better recognised by the employer, especially given the contribution long-serving staff have made to the success of Indeed,” Mr Murphy said.
In a statement, Indeed said: “Our focus for Ireland has been on making the consultation process an open and transparent one for everyone involved, such that all impacted colleagues fully understand the company’s proposals and all concerns raised are fully considered.
“We have engaged in collective consultation with elected employee representatives who were chosen by their colleagues and will continue to engage constructively, including with respect to all matters raised. And we will, of course, comply with all legal obligations around this process.”
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