North Tipperary is to lose further jobs after Tubex Ltd announced it is seeking 31 redundancies. Tubex manufactures aluminium and plastic tube containers for glue and cosmetic goods, with more than 100 employees at plants in Portroe and Nenagh.
In a joint statement signed by management and SIPTU, the company said it was repositioning itself to meet market demands. Negotiations on the redundancies have started between the company and SIPTU.
The redundancies will be a further blow to employment in the county, with hundreds of jobs lost in recent years through the closure of Aventis Pharmaceuticals, Nenagh, GMX, Thurles, and Miza Pharmaceuticals, Roscrea.
The Tubex announcement follows difficulties in securing outlets for its collapsible-tube manufacturing business.
In August 2001 the company was forced to close a newly occupied plant at Lisboney Industrial Estate in Nenagh, resulting in a small number of job losses. A declining market for tubes led to the decision not to invest any more in the Lisboney plant.