370 workers are to be laid off at the Flextronics factory in Tullamore at the end of the month. The company blamed a reduction in orders for the layoffs.
Last night, Tanaiste Mary Harney said she recognised that this was the latest of a series of blows for the region, but said she was confident of better news for Offaly over the next few months, as a number of potential investors were currently in negotiations with the IDA.
Meanwhile, 80 jobs at the Canadian owned computer components plant, SMTC, in Cork City, are to go. The remaining 120 are under review pending the outcome of discussions with the administrator for the British company SIMOCO, a major customer of the Cork company.
Smurfit Corrugated Cases, which is also located in Cork City, also said yesterday it would cut its workforce of 190 by 45 jobs as part of a rationalisation plan.
