250 jobs are to be lost with the closure of an electronics factory in north Dublin. Canadian company Celestica said the decision was due to the ongoing downturn in the telecommunications sector.
Celestica once employed almost 1,000 people at its factory outside Swords, but over the past two years the downturn in the telecommunications sector has hit the company hard.
It has twice cut its workforce here and when it closes, 250 permanent jobs and 70 temporary jobs will be lost.
Phone companies, laden with debt, are investing less in new equipment and the manufacturing of this equipment is moving to cheaper locations.
Celestica made printed circuit boards in Dublin. It now plans to move this production to other Celestica factories overseas.
Workers who were informed of the decision today will receive six weeks pay per year of service. The factory will close over the next three to six months.
The Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade & Employment, Mary Harney, described the job losses as a shocking blow for the workforce and the local community.
But she said a number of other companies were already recruiting aggressively in north Dublin. 'I am very confident that within a week or so I will have good news for North Dublin that will help to ease the burden for many of those affected by today's announcement,' she added.
