Irish tech workers join DATA union in growing numbers as AI-linked layoffs hit Dublin

Tech workers in Ireland are joining unions in growing numbers after a run of layoffs tied to AI investment, according to POLITICO's reporting from Dublin. John Bohan, an organizer with the Digital and Techworker Alliance (DATA), said the union's membership has risen from around 270 to more than 1,350, with sign-ups spiking around redundancies. DATA held a Workers' AI Counter Summit the weekend before an international AI summit in Dublin, arguing that workers were missing from the debate. Fionnuala Ní Bhrógáin of the Communications Workers' Union said only one union speaker was on the summit programme, compared with 36 executives and industry bosses. Naoise Ó Cearúil, a Fianna Fáil lawmaker who chairs the AI committee, disputed the picture of decline, saying net employment in the sector has increased and that the losses were concentrated in trust and safety roles. The Irish government says existing redundancy consultation rules already apply. The piece is worth reading for its account of both the union's push for legal change and the government's counterargument.