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The EU wants to help 171 redundant Irish jewellery factory workers

The collapse of the Andersen Ireland plant shut down in Limerick last year left a major hole in the local economy.

WHEN NEARLY 200 people lost their jobs at the Andersen Ireland jewellery-manufacturing plant in Co Limerick last year, one worker commented on TheJournal.ie‘s report that it was akin to “losing a whole ‘family’.”

In a small town like Rathkeale, the social and economic impact of 171 people being suddenly made unemployed is significant.

The majority of those who lost their jobs in the Andersen plant in September 2013 were women, many of whom had worked there for years (the commenter above had been employed for 19 years in the same factory).

Now a number of EU institutions has delivered a boost to the area by approving co-funding of a programme of projects all aimed at getting those people back to work. The programme covers retraining, education, career advice and support for enterprise ideas.

Who does it help?

The funding comes under the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) which has provided – to date – €38m in funding to help 10,000 workers who have been made redundant in Ireland. The intervention for the Rathkeale workers is the eighth such in Ireland under this fund.

This latest funding decision was signed between the EU/EGF and the Department of Education of Skills a week ago, on 15 December. The EU provides 60% of the €2.5m needed for the two-year programme; the Irish Government provides the other 40%.

Since early this year, agencies such as the Limerick-Clare Education and Training Board and Solas have been working with some of the workers; in the summer a number of open days were put on to show what help people could seek.

According to the Department of Education and Skills, 123 of the 171 Andersen workers made redundant have participated in training, guidance or education courses. There is also a new local forum, chaired by a local entrepreneur Liam Woulfe to observe the programme and its impact.

It is hoped that another EGF programme will be extended in 2015 to those workers made redundant at the Lufthansa Technik Airmotive Ireland plant in Rathcoole, Co Dublin.

Were you one of those made redundant by Andersen Ireland? Have you experience of this EGF programme? Has it really helped you? We’d like to hear from you, either in the comments below, or to editor@thejournal.ie

Jobs on the line as liquidator appointed to Limerick jewellery company>

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    Mute Nathan Wheeler
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    May 4th 2016, 10:52 AM

    Good guy China, mass murdering its own people for the glorious Communist future since 1949.

    Wally Mooney would love to spend time with his communist brethren.

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    Mute James O Conner
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    May 4th 2016, 10:53 AM

    I’d say your great craic in the pub Nathan

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    Mute Nathan Wheeler
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    May 4th 2016, 10:55 AM

    I will take that as a compliment !

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    Mute Ted Murray
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    May 4th 2016, 11:14 AM

    I think they’re more capitalunists these days.

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    Mute Sean Johnston
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    May 4th 2016, 11:17 AM

    You think they were bad Commies? Wait until this embracement of capitalism has run its course. We’ll be lucky if anyone is left alive to tell the tale.

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    Mute Barry Casey
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    May 4th 2016, 12:53 PM

    When do you think that will be Sean? I’ll put your Nostradamus type prediction down in my diary

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    Mute Patrick Hurley
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    May 4th 2016, 11:19 AM

    27 years for a political non-violent protest. And we think we have a corrupt system.

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    Mute Ó Connmhaigh
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    May 4th 2016, 1:22 PM

    Didn’t stop president Higgins and Irish politicians doing business with them.
    And then Higgins has the gall to tell the British that “a policy of amnesia won’t do” when it comes to facing up to injustices. Another cucumber sandwich, Dobby?

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    Mute Jeremiah A Craic
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    May 4th 2016, 10:45 AM

    A great bunch of lads

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    Mute Old Gordon
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    May 4th 2016, 12:55 PM

    Although they might be nominally communist, China does have some admirable traits. Without elections, they can plan long term without the issue of a new shower of moronic politicians ruining everything every five years.

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    Mute Leo Lowe
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    May 4th 2016, 1:06 PM

    And they would know how to deal effectively with water protestors.

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    Mute James Stratford
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    May 4th 2016, 5:17 PM

    Not everything is about water!

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    Mute John Reid
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    May 4th 2016, 3:02 PM

    The people who vote for the likes of the Marxist/socialist so-called People Before Profit, Anti-Austerity Alliance and Sinn Fein should read more articles like this, and about Venezuela and the rest of the countries which have adopted socialist/communist governments.

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    Mute David Clarke
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    May 4th 2016, 1:47 PM

    And your buddies Leo who have robbed this country blind and caused the deaths of hundreds who took their own life and sometimes took their kids as well you proud of that Leo the lion yea c.nt

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    Mute Pat Walsh
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    May 4th 2016, 1:36 PM

    Poor man, he may have been better off with the death sentence.

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    Mute paul kelly
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    May 4th 2016, 3:10 PM

    I love chicken curry

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