Sinn Féin Dublin South West TD Seán Crowe has described as ‘devastating’ the possible loss of 250 IT jobs in the Pocket Kings Company, which provides Technology services for the online poker giant Full Tilt Poker from its offices in Cherrywood.

The announcement was made after the company stated its intention to reduce costs by as much as €12 million with the majority of savings to be achieved through redundancies.

Deputy Crowe continued: “Working class communities in Dublin are being decimated by mounting job losses and rising levels of poverty.  Pocket Kings employs 700 people at its offices in Cherrywood and this announcement has been justified as a cost-cutting measure but other options must be considered and alternatives found to making people redundant.

“News of these job losses come at the same time when 175 jobs workers at Allied Logistics, a division of Allied Foods, were informed that the company was seeking to reduce its workforce in their Tallaght based operation from 250 to 75.

“I understand that the decision was made after the company lost a contract with Dunnes Stores for the distribution of chilled and frozen products and a 30-day consultation between Allied Foods and SIPTU has now commenced.

“These job losses are disastrous for the Tallaght area and are further proof that the reward for austerity policies is higher joblessness. On too many occasions there have been situations where the government failed to intervene in situations where jobs could have been saved and this cannot be allowed to happen again.

“In February, Sinn Féin launched it ‘Let’s get Dublin Working’ initiative which contained achievable and fully costed proposals that would save and create almost 100,000 jobs in our capital over a 12 month period.

“We have called for more support to be made available to help small and local businesses which form the backbone of many inner-city communities. Sinn Féin has consistently said that the only way to deal with the current economic crisis is to focus on creating and retaining jobs.

“Along with supporting Dublin businesses and entrepreneurs, we must invest in infrastructure such as hospitals, schools and public transport.  We must complete the regeneration schemes around the city while investing in community facilities that would create jobs with social benefits for local areas.

“Tallaght, and the Dublin South West area in general, has some of the worst unemployment blackspots in the country. Spiralling debt is devastating thousands of families and added to this is the mass exodus of people who are leaving these shores to find work abroad. To make matters worse, this Government presses ahead with a Universal Social Charge, as well as the proposed water and household charges, all of which will hit the most vulnerable within our society the hardest.