No job cuts will be made at the Roche Ireland pharmaceutical plant outside Ennis, Co Clare, despite a plan, unveiled yesterday by the Swiss parent company, to shed 3,000 jobs worldwide, writes Eibhir Mulqueen, in Limerick. Mr T J Waters, human resources manager, said there was relief although the good news for the Clarecastle plant, which employs 250 people, had been anticipated.

"On the other side of it, we have no doubt in our minds that we have huge challenges to meet over the next couple of years, cost challenges. Discretionary expenditure will have to be pared back to the minimum."

The 3,000 job cuts will take place at the Roche plants in Welwyn in Britain, Basel in Switzerland, and Palo Alto and Nutley in the US over the next two to three years. Roche employs 68,000 people worldwide.

Roche is one of the most valued employers in the Ennis area. More than 70 per cent of employees have third level qualifications and average service at the plant is more than 12 years.