Aviva and Unite meet on job fears

Aviva held talks with trade union Unite in Dublin today amid reports that the insurer is set to shed up to 1,000 jobs in Ireland.

Unite, which represents about 1,200 of the 2,000 workers employed by the company in Ireland, said Aviva had refused to confirm or deny the reports and had provided no information whatsoever as to what workers should expect.

The British insurer is said to be drawing up a major restructuring plan after last month saying it was considering various options to ensure it had a sustainable and competitive business given the difficult trading circumstances in Ireland.

Unite regional officer Brian Gallagher said the insurer had provided no information and that the union expected it would now have to wait three to five weeks for an outcome.

“We met the chief executive [Dermot Browne] and spent an hour and a half trying to impress on him the seriousness of the situation,” Mr Gallagher said. “He, for his part, believes that the actions they are taking behind the scenes are designed to insure the maximum number of jobs are maintained in Ireland.”

Aviva has been hit by a spate of management departures over the past year and recently reversed its decision to set up a European hub in Ireland and relocated to Britain instead.

The insurer employs 1,200 people in Dublin, 200 in Cork and 200 in Galway with additional staff in branches around the country.