270 Job Losses At Liberty Insurance Will Be More Like 450 When Final Quote Comes Through

THERE was bad news on the jobs front this morning as Liberty Insurance announced that it would be shedding 270 staff over the next 18 months, although that figure will probably end up being in the 400-500 region when all is said and done.

The company, which currently employs 1,000 people, has said the job losses are required following a decision to withdraw from the financially unsound UK motor insurance market, before adding that the 270 losses only refers to the amount of 27-year-old female employees with no penalty points and five years no-claims bonus who will be let go.

Staff at the Blanchardstown, Cavan and Fermanagh branches were brought in by management today and given the bad news, although they were assured that the redundancies would be on a voluntary basis and that a generous settlement package was being offered, although this may not apply to employees with previous convictions or employees under 25.

“If enough people who drive to work and have their own off-road parking space apply for redundancy, then yes, the 270 figure will apply,” said Dermot Liberty, owner of Liberty Insurance.

“Otherwise, we could be looking at 450, 475 job losses. Also, there may be an additional 2% added to that figure, in order to cover jobs that we’re still getting rid of from back in the days of Quinn Insurance. Nothing we can do about that”.

Employees wishing to claim voluntary redundancy are required to supply a completed claim form, including an account of their work history from the Guards and a small sketch of how they came to want to leave.