SIPTU representatives have today (Monday, 26th March) called on the Central Bank of Ireland to consider its position before taking a decision that will cease the printing of currency in the Republic of Ireland. The call follows a decision by management to recommend an orderly wind down of the print works facility in Sandyford, in Dublin, to the Central Bank Commission this week following the publication of the Print Works Strategic Review (PWSR). SIPTU Services Divisional Organiser, Karan O Loughlin, said: “The Central Bank recommendation to close the print works is a strategically flawed decision and one that is totally rejected by our members. This facility is a national strategic asset and for a country like Ireland to lose the capacity to print our own money into the future could have serious consequences. “The uncertainty created by Brexit and the rise of right wing politics’ in many parts of Europe, and the associated anti-European Union sentiment means that the environment continues to be very uncertain across the Euro zone. While it is clear that Ireland remains committed to the euro as a currency, the same cannot be said for all of the members states currently engaged in monetary union. Should the unthinkable happen and the Euro currency was to cease, the skills and technical knowledge required for Ireland to print its own currency will be essential. Unfortunately, once the Sandyford print works facility is lost these skills will be difficult to recover.” SIPTU Sector Organiser, for the Arts, Culture and Media Sector, Denis Hynes, said: “The fact that the Central Bank is committed to ensuring that there are no involuntary redundancies does not change the view of staff that a decision to close the print work would be a serious strategic mistake.” He added: “It is worth noting, that the PWSR was purely a management exercise. Staff were not involved in drafting the terms of reference and the appointments to the review body were exclusively made by management. When the staff were invited to participate they were excluded from the process after four meetings and the process continued without them. In fact, neither the staff nor union representatives have ever had sight of the actual review. This is unacceptable.”
SIPTU representatives call on Central Bank to stop closure of Sandyford print facility
