Dell concedes on severence package as workers get organised

Dell computers has caved in to demands from unhappy workers over what they believe  was a poor severance package being offered by the company.

In advance of a meeting by Dell employees facing unemployment over the next 11 months, Dell computers has increased the cap on the redundancy package from 52 weeks to 104 weeks.  This means that anyone working with Dell 18 years or more will be the only ones to have their redundancy package capped, whereas under the previous offer, anyone working nine years or more would have been capped.

A source tells me that the package will also include some sort of bonus for shift work, but this has to be confirmed.

The news comes as disgruntled workers at the Raheen factory gathered at the South Court hotel for a meeting to organise a collective approachto negotiate a better redundancy package.

In total, 1,900 manufacturing staff will be laid off between April of this year and January 2010 as Dell relocates it’s manufacturing base to Lodz in Poland.

UPDATE: The inclusion of shift payments in the redundancy package has been confirmed.  Also, as it was asked in the last post about this meeting as to who was paying for the hotel space, hotel management offered the conference facilities free of charge to the workers.

  • Michelle

    Does anyone know if Don had a meeting with the big boys last week. Rumours that it is going to European court. Is this true.

  • henriksen

    heard the offer today..otion b (with shift,but minus other things) i lost700 euro, improved offer me arse...i want to see option c!

  • ROC

    Banta, IEC/Flex Both getting 6 of their best weeks including overtime and shift allowence. Considering most of Dell wages are OT and shift allowence I think thats the deal Dell should get too.
    My basic is 26000 but average about 39000 with OT and shift.

    Package 1 for me was 30000

    I missed the meeting in Dell, but what I've heard that if you take option 2 you get capped at 2 years and get your shift. But lose your gainshare which is the best part of 1000 euros. And lose your pay in Lieu bonus, which varies depending on how long your there. For me 11 years, 4000 euro. Plus losing VHI etc. They are taking 5000-6000 off be me.

    Package 2 39000

    Funny enough still ended up with what I earn in a year. So for me and most others its still capped at 52 weeks in my eyes.

    What they should do is take an average of your last 3 years P60's and divide that by 52 to give you your real weekly wage and that would be the fair way. Be worth 10k extra for me.

    But I can dream, but like I said Banta/IEC and I hear Sercom are getting more or less that offer. And considering that basically Dell contract them... Blah blah blah I could go on all night lol.

  • The Maker

    Molex has just upped it's offer of 6 weeks capped at two and a half years.

  • Converted Muck Savage

    In my second last line I meant " not to leave"

  • Converted Muck Savage

    Dell Man Walking. No, I don't work in Dell, but I did and I know plenty of people in Dell and I understand what they are going through, but how many other company's offering redundancies are offering Dells deal of six weeks pay. I bet your thinking hard about that one.

    No matter what Dell offered there was going to be complaints.

    Dell leaving was on the cards when I worked there in 1996, 1998 and 2000. I left as I knew it was going to happen eventually and got qualifications so that I am in a reasonably safe envirnoment. People that are still there from my time and who are my age had no excuse to leave and get qualifications. So they can't complain that they have been left high and dry.

  • Dafydd

    An insult? How so?

  • Dellboy

    Dellman - I dont know why you are complaining. This is a great package for a company that dont have a union.. I am a dell employee too and am very happy with the package. I have not heard of a company that have offered a better one in these times. Forfeit ur gain ahare it is only worth 7% og 6 months wages and shift allowance is worth 20% of ur yearly wage.. Do the maths!!!

  • Dell man walking

    its just a PR excercise for the most part.The lifting of the 52 week cap is the only real improvment and that should never have been there in the first place!

    The so called 'option' for workers to choose which type of package they prefer is nothing more the a JOKE! if you choose the one with Shift Sllowance included, you FORFEIT your GAINSHARE and INSURANCE. Its not an offer at all but a fuckng INSULT!

    As one of the 300 who put my name on the page at work im no better off, tho i am happy that the 'LIFERS' got a better deal at least.

    Muck Savage, you clearly dont work in Dell, dod you even know one single Dell worker? Your way off the mark as regards complaints, no one is happy with the new 'deal' apart from the lifers (ppl in dell more thant 10 years).

  • john wayne

    Great result!

  • Converted Muck Savage

    I would not be surprised if this was the plan all along by Dell. Take the flack initially for throwing people out on the streets and offer a reasonable redundancy package. Then if people complain, throw in a lifeline and sweeten the package. Then people will stop complaining as they were given what they demanded. Now the Dell employees cant complain anymore and Dell get good PR.

  • DOBBER

    They couldn't take the chance of production being halted if it had been stopped even for a few days they stood lose millions not to mention customers. It could have very easily turned into another Waterford Crystal situation all it takes is in this case one person to get the ball rolling and soon 300 names and then who knows.

    Management were rattled simple as and fair play to Mr. Ryan the 300 who put pen to paper and stood behind him.
    Excellent result lads.

  • henriksen

    well the shift allowance has been included on a conditional basis,there are 2 options..option 1 is the package that was announced first,2nd option is that dell wont give u the 4 weeks bonus or the gauranteed icp payment which would be about 7% of ur 6 month salary and also u would have to do without the vhi and life insurance coverage that they were going to give for 6 months after people leave,so basically the changes suit the people who were there the longest which is fair enough..they desreve it cos they were the REASON for dells success...don ryan deserves credit..i think that with the meeting upcoming i, sure that gave dell abit of a fright and were worried that it might snowball into another waterford crystal.

  • dolly

    great news, the workers deserve it so much, after all they had to fight for themselves and fair play to them they didnt back down, well done!

  • Squid

    I believe Dell just wanted the coverage of the poor redundancy package to go away.

  • me

    Great example of people power, I'm delighted. Where are all the people now who said it was a waste of time?

  • crackd

    its some deal for a non union factory

  • DOBBER

    Sometimes folks its just worth a try :)

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