Employees' viewWorkers at the Dairygold pig meat processing factory in Roscrea reacted with disillusionment and anger yesterday after the announcement of the closure which will result in 100 job losses.

The company has maintained that the closures are critical to achieving the "correct competitive structure" for the business.

Although yesterday's announcement at the loss of jobs at the Dairygold plant in Mitchelstown was in some way expected, the closure of the plant in Roscrea was unforeseen by those on the factory floor, who will be out of their jobs by the end of September. Employee Mr Michael Nolan, who has worked in the factory for 15 years, was outraged at the way the staff had been treated by Dairygold.

"It's very bad, absolutely tragic. We knew the company wasn't going great the last while but this was very unexpected and what's more, it was disgraceful the way they did it.

"The management called us in only 15 minutes before they made the announcement and told us that they were closing down at the end of September," he said.

"It is going to have a fierce effect on the workers, their families and the whole town. It is shocking that they (Dairygold) don't care about people.

"It will affect families, people who have to pay mortgages on a single salary. There will also be some families who will lose two incomes for mortgages and left with the possibility of no income coming in at all. They are looking at people who have committed 10, 15, 20 years to the factory and they don't care.

Another worker, Ms Helen Delaney, was also upset at the way the employees have been treated.

"I feel shattered. We are devastated with the way it was said to us, it just came out of the blue.

"What will some of us do now? There are no jobs out there. I am one of the older employees, what will I do?"

She said people were in shock. "Some of the girls that are pregnant are devastated. They don't know what they are going to do and there are a lot of people working in there who are moving into new houses." All job losses are compulsory.

Last night the company said that every effort would be made to support employees in finding suitable alternative emplyment "with employers in the Roscrea area." Roscrea has already had to cope with the loss of 270 workers in the Antigen chemical factory and 300 jobs at the Offrey ribbon factory in recent years.