150 jobs at risk with top concrete supplier

THE future for 150 employees at one of the country’s main concrete suppliers hung in the balance last night after management made an application under the Companies Act.

Clare-based Whelan Group made the application to the High Court to lodge a number of affidavits on behalf of its companies.

As one of the main suppliers of stone, concrete, precast products and road surfacing products to the construction industry, Whelan was always likely to face difficulties in a sector which has declined rapidly over the course of the recession.

Nonetheless the company, which is due back in court on December 1, would not provide specific details of what it has sought from the High Court and it insists that it is business as usual.

In recent weeks, a number of construction companies have come before the courts seeking intervention to address their financial woes.

Just over a week ago, McNamara Construction went into receivership, putting a number of major construction projects around the country on hold and threatening the future of thousands of sub-contractor employees.

And at the start of the month, Pierse Construction, which employed 700 people at its peak but now has 211 workers, was forced to seek the appointment of an interim examiner citing the economic downturn and cashflow difficulties caused by bad debts of about €30 million on completed works.