COUNCILLORS have called for Government intervention to protect around 100 jobs at Daktronics in Ennistymon, with one member declaring that “West Clare is ready and open for business.”
The issue was raised at the September meeting of the Economic Development Strategic Policy Committee (SPC), following confirmation last week that Daktronics had entered a collective redundancy consultation process.
Around 100 employees in Ireland have been notified that their roles are at risk, with the future of the company’s Ennistymon manufacturing facility now under consideration.
Daktronics has said no final decisions have been made and that the factory will remain operational during the consultation process. The company said the potential changes followed sustained market volatility and increasing competition in the digital display and control systems industry.
Cathaoirleach of the West Clare Municipal District, Michael Shannon (FF) said he wanted to “send a hand of friendship” to the workers and assure them that their councillors supported them during the “uncertain” period.
He called for a letter to be sent to the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, Peter Burke TD (FG), and said there was an urgent need for a representative from the Department of Enterprise to engage with the situation.
“Jobs are going to be lost,” Cllr Shannon warned, saying West Clare would need a replacement industry located in the area if the facility ultimately closed. He highlighted the company’s long history in Ennistymon, noting that it had been there for nearly 50 years and had “grown international”.
Cllr Shannon said Daktronics had an “obligation to go into the Department of Enterprise and see if they can save sections of the company”, pointing to the skills and experience of its workforce.
He said Clare County Council and its elected representatives needed to be available to support the workers if assistance was sought.
Cllr Shannon also said the company’s history demonstrated that a business could be successful in West Clare, pointing to the rollout of high-speed broadband as something which could increase opportunities in the region, including the ability for people to work remotely. “West Clare is ready and open for business,” he said.
He warned that if the facility closed, some workers could be forced to leave West Clare to find employment in Ennis, Shannon or further afield.
Cllr Bill Slattery (FG) said he and Cllr Shane Talty (FF) had spoken with company representatives and had been told that “nothing definite” had been decided. He said Clare TDs Joe Cooney (FG) and Cathal Crowe (FF) had indicated that they had approached the Minister seeking ministerial intervention to help keep the facility open.
Cllr Slattery said the potential loss of the jobs would have a significant impact on workers, particularly those who had recently taken out mortgages. He said some employees had moved from Dublin and Donegal to West Clare specifically for their jobs at the company.
Cllr Slattery said the situation involved business potentially moving outside Ireland altogether and said he would like to see ministerial intervention to try to protect the facility and its workforce.
Director of Service for Planning, Economic, Rural and Community Development Jason Murphy thanked Cllr Shannon for highlighting the impact of the situation on the area.
He said the council would use the Regional Enterprise Plan to coordinate engagement with the relevant department and establish what interventions could be made. Mr Murphy said work would also be undertaken on writing to the minister.
He said the council wanted to engage with the regional assembly on balanced regional development, examining where populations could grow and investment could be directed in the region, and how industries could be distributed away from Dublin and into rural towns and villages.
Mr Murphy said the opportunity to see how the regional assembly and adopted economic strategies could support the area was “greatly important”.
He said the next County Development Plan would include an economic and employment strategy aimed at identifying sites and policies that could support economic development. Mr Murphy said there was a need to create “attractive, safe spaces” capable of attracting businesses, while also highlighting the importance of Uisce Éireann and housing provision in supporting future development.
He acknowledged that these longer-term measures would be “of little consolation” to people who may be affected by the situation at Daktronics. “These are the types of considerations that we are giving,” he said.
Mr Murphy said further detail would be brought to the next SPC and would also feed into the next County Development Plan.
Chair of the SPC, Cllr Pat Daly (FF), said the five Oireachtas members in Clare should be contacted immediately to seek their assistance
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