SIPTU has called on Tánaiste Mary Harney to meet senior executives of the Avon jewellery and cosmetics firm in a bid to save 300 jobs at the company's plant in Portarlington, Co Laois. The midland regional branch secretary of SIPTU, Jack O'Connor, said that Ms. Harney should negotiate the package of measures with the company to enable the survival of the Laois plant with an alternative product range.
Management at the plant told the workers this morning that the Irish plant will close down at the end of April because of a worldwide downturn in demand. SIPTU says that an additional two hundred jobs will also go among part-time and casual staff.
There has been strong reaction to the announcement. The Fine Gael deputy, Charlie Flanagan, called for an acceptable package of redundancy for the workers. The Fianna Fáil TD, Sean Fleming, described the job losses as a body blow for the region.
The factory is the third major employer to close in the town over the last two years. The Tánaiste, Mary Harney, is expected to announce the setting up of a special task force later today.
