The Irish Glass plant at Ringsend in Dublin is to close with the loss of 325 jobs despite the acceptance of a restructuring agreement between management and workers, the plant’s owners Ardagh said today.
Ardagh blamed a fall-off in orders for the decision to close Irish Glass.
In February Ardagh said it planned to close the Ringsend plant in May because it had become increasingly uncompetitive and, without major improvements in work practices, it had no future.
But in early March, the Labour Relations Commission (LRC) invited both sides to take part in negotiations to keep the plant operational.
A survival plan, proposing major changes to work practices and a new industrial relations culture, was agreed by management and unions. The plan also involved cutting staff from 375 to 325.
Dublin South East Workers' Party candidate Mr Tom Crilly said that the closure announcement was "a disgrace" in that it would mean the closure of the country's only glass recycling factory at a time when there was a serious national debate on the need to reduce waste and he strongly condemned the company's management for not trying hard enough.