Meta and Covalen Workers to Protest 350 Irish Job Cuts Amid AI Transition

Workers will protest outside Meta's Dublin HQ and Covalen's Haddington Road office on Friday over Meta's plan to lay off up to 350 staff in its Irish workforce. This is part of Meta's global reduction of 8,000 roles this year, approximately 10% of its workforce, driven by the company's focus on AI transformation.

Earlier this month, Covalen, a Dublin-based firm owned by CPL Resources that provides AI annotation and moderation services to Meta, announced that 720 workers on Meta projects face redundancy. The Communication Workers’ Union (CWU) is organizing the protest, stating that AI-driven restructuring is «hollowing out the tech sector» and demanding «just transition» support for workers affected by AI-related job losses.

CWU head of organising Fionnuala Ní Bhrógáin criticized the treatment of outsourced workers, who she says are acting as «shock absorbers for the AI transition» while corporations protect profits. CWU general secretary Seán McDonagh highlighted Ireland's economic model's reliance on multinational tech and outsourced labor, noting workers' lack of protections during restructuring. The union calls for urgent government engagement and a review of Ireland’s collective redundancy framework.