500 job losses at three companies

Up to 500 jobs losses have been anounced at three separate companies around the country.

In Waterford, a French pharmaceutical company has announced its closing its factory with the loss of 200 jobs.

Sanofi-Aventis is closing its facility on the IDA Industrial estate with the proposed closure date at the end of this year.

Also packaging company Ire-Tex has confirmed the loss of 200 jobs after the High Court yesterday granted winding up orders against the company. 85 people were laid off at the company in January.

Ire-Tex has liabilities of €7m after Dell, which was its largest customer, terminated a long-running contract. Ire-Tex had been operating in Limerick, Kildare and Meath for more than 30 years.

And mobile company O2 will announce 100 redundancies this afternoon from a workforce of 1,800.