Workers at the C&D Foods plant in Edgeworthstown, Co Longford will learn this morning whether any of their jobs will be saved after last Sunday's fire.
Management at the pet food factory have invited union representatives to a meeting at the plant at 9am to discuss the company's plans. Séamus McNamee, local branch organiser for Siptu, which represents almost all of the factory's 500 staff, said last night it had yet to learn whether any of the facilities at the plant would be in a position to reopen.
"Any comment in advance of that meeting would be pure speculation," he remarked.
Management continued to survey the extent of the damage yesterday, and held a series of meetings with insurers and financiers to examine the possibility of reopening.
Among the options being considered is outsourcing certain functions while the factory is repaired. Another option is to draft in the assistance of a separate company in a related production area, perhaps using certain facilities undamaged in the weekend fire.
However, ensuring continuity of supply may prove impossible, with existing stocks due to run out in less than two weeks.
Workers who were temporarily laid off after the accident are due to sign on for the first time today for social welfare benefits.
The Department of Social and Family Affairs has set up special information meetings to make staff aware of their entitlements. Fás are also examining the possibility of setting up a skills enhancement programme to assist those who are made redundant.
Gardaí have ruled out arson as a cause of the fire at the factory, which produced 160 million cans of pet food last year. As well as being the largest employer in Edgeworthstown, the factory had supported a number of local businesses which now fear for their future.
C&D Foods, which had annualised sales of €100 million, is managed by Philip Reynolds, son of the former taoiseach Albert Reynolds who set up the company in 1969.
