Marian Harkin, MEP reacted today to the vote in the European Parliament Employment and Social Affairs Committee which paves the way for a substantial compensation package for the redundant Waterford Crystal workers.  Marian Harkin is the only Irish MEP on the working group on the European Globalisation Adjustment fund which approves applications made on behalf of workers who have lost their jobs as a result of the economic crisis or globalisation.

"I am delighted at the overwhelming approval for €2.5 million to those workers who were made redundant at Waterford crystal. This fund is a real expression of European solidarity where those who have lost their jobs due to globalisation or the current economic crisis are given some assistance to help with retraining, re-skilling and the promotion of entrepreneurship with the possibility to set up ones own business"

Marian Harkin will leave tonight for  Limerick to meet the Dell workers to see how the funds attributed to them from the same fund have been invested.  She will travel as part of a delegation from the Employment and Social Affairs Committee of the European Parliament.

 '"I think it is crucially important to meet the former Dell workers to see if the Globalisation Fund is helping to meet their needs particularly in regard to education and training.  Their experience will be vital when making decisions on how best to use this compensation in the most effective way in order to get redundant Waterford Crystal  workers back in active employment". 

The application for compensation was submitted last August 2009 to European Commission following 538 redundancies at Waterford Crystal.