Bulmers to cut up to 50 jobs at Clonmel plant

Up to 50 jobs are to go at the Bulmers plant in Clonmel as part of a cost-cutting exercise, the company said today.

The redundancies are set to mostly impact middle-management at the Tipperary plant.

A spokesman for the company said the losses were regrettable, but necessary in order to protect the remaining 220 jobs there.

"Management will commence consultations with employees and trade union representatives with immediate effect and expects to have concluded the cost reduction and reorganisation programme by December 2010," the company said in a statement.

" Where possible, redundancies will be obtained on a voluntary basis."

The company said the redundancies were due to the impact of a "dramatically weakening consumer environment" and "the continued migration of cider volumes from the on to off trade".

"This restructuring programme will, I believe, position the Bulmers business on a much stronger footing to develop and prosper in the years ahead," Bulmers General Manager Paul O'Sullivan said.