MORE THAN 300 job losses were announced in plants in Galway, Limerick, Wicklow and Kilkenny yesterday.
One of Galway's biggest employers, Thermo King, announced the loss of 110 jobs. The refrigerated transport unit maker said the redundancies were part of an international restructuring scheme which it had to introduce because of the global recession.
The job losses will be managed through a combination of contract suspensions, voluntary lay-offs and the non-renewal of temporary contracts.
Ray Pittard, president of Climate Control Technologies ESA, which owns Thermo King, said the job cuts needed to be made to safeguard the long-term viability of the company.
"The speed and the impact of the economic slowdown, combined with the decline of the euro against the US dollar is unprecedented.
"Such events demand a response and the realignment of our people and resources."
Mayor of Galway Cllr Pádraig Conneely said the announcement had sent shockwaves through Galway.
"The Thermo King announcement is a devastating blow to Galway as it is one of the biggest employers here," he said.
Also yesterday, 25 workers at a car component plant in Tuam, Co Galway were told that their jobs were gone. Valeo Vision Systems in Tuam said decreasing sales in the international automobile industry was the reason for the job losses.
The company manufactures in-car camera systems and employs a total of 260 workers at the north Galway factory.
In Limerick, 59 jobs will be lost at the Filtrek plant in Newcastle West while 30 jobs will go at the Brothers of Charity-run Bawnmore Centre in Lisnagry.
The water filtration company Filtrek said it would be restructuring its business and reducing the size of its workforce from 99 to approximately 40 people. "The company regrets having to reduce the size of its workforce but it is confident that this action will strengthen its financial and strategic position and give it a solid foundation on which profitable growth can be built in future," a company statement said.
Fine Gael TD Michael Noonan said it was "appalling" that 30 jobs were being lost at the Bawnmore Centre in Lisnagry. He said that 30 more jobs may be at risk next year.
Some 70 jobs will be lost in Kilkenny when ball-bearing manufacturer NN Euroball ceases production at Purcellsinch next year.
A spokesman said this was "part of its long-term strategy to rationalise its European operations".
It has been producing high-precision metal bearing components in Kilkenny since 1997.
It also emerged yesterday that Trinity Biotech in Bray, Co Wicklow, had let 11 employees go.
The company employs 330 people at its Irish headquarters. More job losses are expected abroad but the company said it was not prepared to say what the total number of job losses would be.
