Up to 60 jobs are to go at an industrial diamond manufacturing plant in Co Clare.
Workers at the Element Six plant in Shannon, Co Clare, are to meet management today to discuss the redundancies. It is believed that the job cuts will affect the administrative section of the firm.
Element Six, formerly known as De Beers Industrial Diamonds, has been in the area for more than 45 years. The company will issue a statement later today.
Element Six is the world's leading supplier of industrial diamond materials used to make tools for drilling, sawing, cutting, grinding and polishing materials such as metals, natural stone, glass and ceramics.
Local representatives said they were concerned by the news. "It is a very disappointing turn of events," said Fine Gael councillor Madeline Taylor-Quinn. "The loss of 60 jobs in Shannon will have a serious effect on the local economy."
Ms Taylor-Quinn said the latest job losses appeared to be part of a trend in the area. According to a recent Shannon Development report, over 280 jobs were lost in the Shannon Free Zone in 2005.
Ms Taylor-Quinn called on the Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment to prioritise the region by helping to retrain laid-off staff and build enterprise initiatives in the area.