Sir, - Mary Harney jets off on another mercy mission to try to save jobs in Apple, Cork. What if Apple executives ask her how many Apple computers has the Irish Government bought in the last 10 years? The answer might prove very embarrassing.
Save the taxpayers' money on the delegation to California to plead the case for keeping jobs in Cork. Instead, use the money to buy some Apple equipment for a change.
I am fed up reading about the "efforts" that various Government Ministers, local councillors, politicians and others are making to preserve the Apple jobs in Cork; how committed they are to Apple, blah, blah, blah. The Cork Chamber of Commerce recently took a decision to dump their Apple computers after many years. How can they, in conscience, say they are committed to Apple in Cork? SIPTU is very vocal in its attempts at keeping the jobs in Cork. How much support has it shown for Apple in the last 10 years in terms of purchasing their products? Again, I fear the answer will embarrass. Apple, Cork, is the only unionised pc manufacturer in the country. Does that mean SIPTU supports Apple? It does not even ask Apple to tender for its computer requirements.
The Apple plant has been the mainstay of the Cork economy for 15 years, directly employing anything up to 2,000 people, and responsible for another 3,000-4,000 jobs in companies supplying the plant. I would conservatively estimate that Apple, Cork is responsible for over £500,000 per week in PAYE and PRSI payments alone. Yet, the output i.e. computers, from that plant is not worthy of consideration by the Government.
Successive Governments and Administrations for all Government Departments issue tender after tender specifying Intel processors and Microsoft operating systems, thereby excluding Apple from tendering for such business.
Apple has done more for Ireland and for Cork than any Irish Administration has ever done. The nerve of the Administration and other interested parties in now seeking to influence internal Apple decisions truly beggars belief. - Yours, etc., Des Corbett,
Apple Centre,
Cork.