SF TD Louise O’Reilly is among the growing political spokespersons to condemn Twitter owner Elon Musk on his announcement that 140 staff will be laid off in Dublin, about one third of the company’s workforce in Dublin.
Tánaiste Leo Varadkar as Minister with responsibility at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment received leanrt only of the redundancies yesterday, Friday, November 18.
Musk has sent waves across the world since he acquired the company on October 28, and had since announced up to 7,000 employees were to be made redundant immediately and would be notified by email. Tánaiste Leo Varadkar should have been given notice of the Irish redundancies then under Irish employment law.
Employees were warned not to discuss their Twitter employment on social media by Musk nor to engage with the media. Those who were chosen to stay on were warned they must work longer, increased hours.
Furthermore, he called for Twitter offices to be temporarily closed, with immediate effect.
Sinn Féin spokesperson on Workers’ Rights, Louise O’Reilly TD, said that Twitter’s lockout of its Dublin staff is unacceptable and in breach of employment law.
She said: “For weeks now, staff at Twitter’s Dublin office have been in fear for their jobs. Many heard news of job losses through the media or via email, while others were given only a few days’ notice to completely return to full on-site working patterns.
“The conduct of the company and its new CEO has been unacceptable and nothing short of shambolic. Developments yesterday have taken an even more sinister turn as workers have found themselves locked out.”
She continued: “This lockout of workers, however temporary, has occurred without consultation with workers and their representatives and is in breach of Irish employment law.
“Earlier this month, the Tánaiste, Leo Varadkar, said that he expected Twitter to comply with its legal obligations under Irish employment law.
“It is of the utmost importance that the Tánaiste intervene in this matter and seek a meeting with Twitter about their abhorrent treatment of their workers here in Dublin.”
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