Latest news with #Monaghan-based
Irish Daily Mirror
4 days ago
- Business
- Irish Daily Mirror
€12k compensation for mum not allowed return to role held before maternity leave
A Monaghan-based renewable energy firm has been ordered to pay over €12,000 to a former employee who was not allowed to return to the role she held prior to going on maternity leave. The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) ruled that Eurotech Renewables Limited of Castleblayney, Co Monaghan has discriminated against former worker, Leanne McGuinness, on grounds of family status. Ms McGuinness, who joined the company in February 2020, claimed she was not allowed to return to the role of administration manager that she held prior to going on her second period of maternity leave. A representative of Eurotech Renewables denied the claim and maintained that the complainant had been temporarily laid off due to various economic reasons that had nothing to do with her maternity leave. In evidence, Ms McGuinness said it was agreed that she would work a four-day week after she returned to work in November 2021 following an earlier period of maternity leave. She told the WRC that her role was filled by a temporary employee when she commenced her second period of maternity leave in December 2022. Ms McGuinness said she was phoned by a company director shortly before she was due to return to work in September 2023 to state that he had a new role for her. However, she was informed by the director two days before her scheduled return that the company could not afford to take her back 'at the moment'. However, Ms McGuinness said the correspondence ended with the director saying that Eurotech Renewables was 'regretful and saddened to have to let you go from the company', which she took to mean that she was dismissed. The WRC heard she wrote back to the company to express her shock but also to state that she was fully entitled to return to work in her original post 'if the new role is not there'. Ms McGuinness said the director told her by phone that her old role was not available as it was being filled by another person on a full-time basis. However, she said the director wrote to her again in October 2023 in which he stated that she had been placed on temporary lay-off but that a new role of 'service department receptionist' was available. Ms McGuinness said she believed the company was seeking to re-classify her dismissal as a temporary lay-off to limit 'their obvious legal exposure'. She outlined how she was given a deadline to respond to the offer of the alternative role, which she ignored and instead submitted a complaint to the WRC. Ms McGuinness said she had suffered a series of discriminatory acts, including when she was informed that she could not return to her former role after her maternity leave was over as a consequence of her former four-day arrangement. She also claimed the offer of the alternative role represented a demotion. However, Eurotech Renewables said Ms McGuinness had requested that she could return to a part-time role on her return to work in September 2023. The company claimed it was agreed that she would return to a customer service role when her request could not be accommodated. It maintained it experienced a significant downturn in its business around the same time and noted three other staff were also placed on a temporary lay-off. Eurotech Renewables said Ms McGuinness was also the first person to be contacted about a return to work following such lay-offs but she did not respond. WRC adjudication officer, Brian Dolan, said any reasonable employer in the circumstances of the case would have allowed Ms McGuinness return to the same role and offered the alternative position to the recently-hired member of staff. Mr Dolan noted that the company had not removed Ms McGuinness as an employee with the relevant authorities even though correspondence to her had read 'much like a letter of dismissal'. He concluded that Ms McGuinness was placed on unpaid lay-off before any other staff member solely on the basis of her absence due to maternity leave. Mr Dolan said she was presented with her removal from work as a fait accompli and was offered no real opportunity to advocate for her return to employment. He also observed that her former role was not considered for lay-off by the company. 'It is apparent that the complainant suffered discrimination on the grounds of availing of maternity leave,' said Mr Dolan. He ordered the company to pay €12,480 – the equivalent of six months' pay – to Ms McGuinness in compensation for the effects of the discrimination.
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump tariffs: Ireland expected to be among hardest hit
Ireland is expected to be one of the most affected countries when President Trump announces a new round of tariffs later this week. EU goods are expected to face a tariff of about 20% when entering the United States. Among EU countries, Ireland is the most reliant on the US as an export market. In 2024, Irish goods exports to the US were worth €73bn (£61bn), almost a third of the country's total exports. Tariffs are effectively taxes applied to goods imported from other countries. Governments impose tariffs in the hope of protecting local manufacturers from international competition. The Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Micheál Martin said on Monday that increased US tariffs were "a very grave and serious threat". Analysis co-authored by Ireland's Department of Finance and the ESRI think tank suggested the tariffs could cost Ireland more than €18bn (£15bn) in lost trade. It also warned that a prolonged trade war between the EU and US would pose a risk to Ireland's public finances. The level of concern in Ireland as the tariff's announcement draws closer can be gauged by the level of public interest in the issue. Many Irish towns and cities have enjoyed the benefits of a US business presence for decades, while the workers who are employed in these big businesses travel to the plants from all over Ireland, meaning that the impact of any tariffs could reach into countless communities all over the country. Monaghan-based manufacturer Combilift makes about a quarter of its sales in the US market where it also employs 50 people. The company's co-founder and managing director Martin McVicar visited Chicago in March to brief his US customers. He told them he will freeze the dollar price of all Combilift products this year to give them some certainty about import costs. "We've given our customers certainty on what their costs will be in US dollars for products delivered to the port in the US. "At least they can try to plan their business around that at this stage." Mr McVicar remains bullish about the US market as he sees their products as helping customers run their businesses more efficiently. Combilift makes forklifts which can operate in very tight spaces which allow companies to store more in their warehouses. "We're enabling customers to expand without having to relocate and we're adamant that should outweigh the impact of a tariff," he said. Ireland's biggest export sector is pharmaceuticals: the country is a major manufacturing hub for US companies like Pfizer and Eli Lilly. In 2024 overall exports of medical and pharmaceutical products rose by €22.4bn (£18.8bn) or 29% to just under €100bn (£83.7bn). These products accounted for 45% of all Irish goods exports. Trump has repeatedly expressed his unhappiness at the scale of US pharma manufacturing in Ireland. Last month he said: "All of a sudden Ireland has our pharmaceutical companies, this beautiful island of five million people has got the entire US pharmaceutical industry in its grasp." Trump has also talked about imposing specific tariffs on pharma, as he has done for imports of cars. However that is not expected to form part of this immediate round of tariffs. Analysis: John Campbell, BBC News NI economics and business editor Ireland has been one of the winners of globalisation - that long process which has made it easier for people, goods and money to flow around the world. Reforms to global tax rules over the last decade have been particularly beneficial. That has led to major international pharmaceutical and technology companies paying a large chunk of their taxes in Ireland. So much money has flowed in that the government has been able to set up a national wealth fund. Donald Trump's deglobalising instincts are a clear threat to that prosperity. Dan O'Brien, chief economist of the Institute of International and European Affairs, believes the Irish economy could be exposed because of the success of the pharmaceutical sector there. "The republic is the single biggest exporter of pharmaceuticals to the United States. With a population of just over five million that makes it a bigger exporter than even the likes of traditional powerhouses like Germany and Switzerland," he said. Mr O'Brien added the potential impact of the tariffs on Ireland could have parallels with the country's economic crash in 2008. "Then there was a financial crisis, it was immediate, it was like the wind blew the roof off the house," he said. "In this case it's more like a more gradual erosion of the foundations, which obviously is very important for any structure." Irish finance minister delivers warning over US tariffs Irish goods exports to US surge by 34% Trump targets Irish pharmaceutical industry for US tariffs If the people of the country were not quite sure what the implication of the changes might be, the Irish government has left them in no doubt in recent weeks. In a sobering analysis, the Minister for Finance, Pascal Donohoe, who is renowned for his cautious style of commentary around economic matters, outlined the possible outcome for Ireland in the worst-case scenario. The minister, who is also president of the Eurogroup of Finance Ministers, said: "It is very possible that between 50,000 and 80,000 jobs that would have been created or kept within the economy won't be." This sobering analysis has been accompanied by transatlantic and EU diplomatic discussions involving the Taoiseach Micheál Martin, and the Tánaiste (deputy PM) and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Simon Harris. What are tariffs and why is Trump using them? US tariffs 'potentially devastating' for Irish whiskey Threat of US tariffs spells uncertainty for NI businesses The scale of Ireland's dependency on foreign direction investment involving the US has been explained by Ireland's Industrial Development Authority (IDA). An IDA spokesperson told BBC News NI: "IDA Ireland partners with more than 1,800 FDI client companies, 766 of which are US companies that directly employ over 210,000 people and indirectly support an additional 166,000 jobs. "Conversely, Ireland is the sixth largest source of foreign direct investment into the US, with investment by Irish companies in 2023 worth $351bn (£272bn). "More than 200,000 people are employed by 770 Irish companies across all 50 States."
BBC News
31-03-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Trump tariffs: Ireland expected to be among hardest hit countries
Ireland is expected to be one of the most affected countries when President Trump announces a new round of tariffs later this goods are expected to face a tariff of about 20% when entering the United EU countries, Ireland is the most reliant on the US as an export 2024, Irish goods exports to the US were worth €73bn (£61bn), almost a third of the country's total exports. Tariffs are effectively taxes applied to goods imported from other impose tariffs in the hope of protecting local manufacturers from international Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Micheál Martin said on Monday that increased US tariffs were "a very grave and serious threat".Analysis co-authored by Ireland's Department of Finance and the ESRI think tank suggested the tariffs could cost Ireland more than €18bn (£15bn) in lost also warned that a prolonged trade war between the EU and US would pose a risk to Ireland's public finances. Business impact of US tariffs The level of concern in Ireland as the tariff's announcement draws closer can be gauged by the level of public interest in the Irish towns and cities have enjoyed the benefits of a US business presence for decades, while the workers who are employed in these big businesses travel to the plants from all over Ireland, meaning that the impact of any tariffs could reach into countless communities all over the country. Monaghan-based manufacturer Combilift makes about a quarter of its sales in the US market where it also employs 50 company's co-founder and managing director Martin McVicar visited Chicago in March to brief his US told them he will freeze the dollar of price of all Combilift products this year to give them some certainty about import costs."We've given our customers certainty on what their costs will be in US dollars for products delivered to the port in the US."At least they can try to plan their business around that at this stage." Mr McVicar remains bullish about the US market as he sees their products as helping customers run their businesses more makes forklifts which can operate in very tight spaces which allow companies to store more in their warehouses."We're enabling customers to expand without having to relocate and we're adamant that should outweigh the impact of a tariff," he said. Pharmaceutical exports Ireland's biggest export sector is pharmaceuticals: the country is a major manufacturing hub for US companies like Pfizer and Eli 2024 overall exports of medical and pharmaceutical products rose by €22.4bn (£18.8bn) or 29% to just under €100bn (£83.7bn).These products accounted for 45% of all Irish goods has repeatedly expressed his unhappiness at the scale of US pharma manufacturing in month he said: "All of a sudden Ireland has our pharmaceutical companies, this beautiful island of five million people has got the entire US pharmaceutical industry in its grasp."Trump has also talked about imposing specific tariffs on pharma, as he has done for imports of that is not expected to form part of this immediate round of tariffs. Dan O'Brien, chief economist of the Institute of International and European Affairs, believes the Irish economy could be exposed because of the success of the pharmaceutical sector here."The Republic is the single biggest exporter of pharmaceuticals to the United States. With a population of just over five million that makes it a bigger exporter than even the likes of traditional powerhouses like Germany and Switzerland," he O'Brien added the potential impact of the tariffs on Ireland could have parallels with the country's economic crash in 2008."Then there was a financial crisis, it was immediate, it was like the wind blew the roof off the house," he said. "In this case its more like a more gradual erosion of the foundations, which obviously is very important for any structure." If the people of the country were not quite sure what the implication of the changes might be, the Irish government has left them in no doubt in recent a sobering analysis, the Minister for Finance, Pascal Donohoe, who is renowned for his cautious style of commentary around economic matters, outlined the possible outcome for Ireland in the worst-case minister, who is also president of the Eurogroup of Finance Ministers, said: "It is very possible that between 50,000 and 80,000 jobs that would have been created or kept within the economy won't be."This sobering analysis has been accompanied by transatlantic and EU diplomatic discussions involving the Taoiseach Micheál Martin, and the Tánaiste (deputy PM) and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Simon Harris. The scale of Ireland's dependency on foreign direction investment involving the US has been explained by Ireland's Industrial Development Authority (IDA).An IDA spokesperson told BBC News NI: "IDA Ireland partners with more than 1,800 FDI client companies, 766 of which are US companies that directly employ over 210,000 people and indirectly support an additional 166,000 jobs."Conversely, Ireland is the sixth largest source of foreign direct investment into the US, with investment by Irish companies in 2023 worth $351bn (£272bn). "More than 200,000 people are employed by 770 Irish companies across all 50 States."
