150 jobs lost after tannery and hotel close

MORE THAN 150 job losses were announced yesterday after workers at a hotel in Limerick and a tannery in Waterford were told the businesses were closing.

A statutory redundancy payment offer to 92 employees who are losing their jobs when the Limerick Ryan Hotel closes down on December 5 is an insult, a union official said yesterday.

“The workers are devastated that the hotel is closing down just three weeks before Christmas,” said Limerick

SIPTU branch secretary Tony Lowe. “They have been only offered statutory redundancy for their many years service, which is totally unacceptable.”

The workers were told on Tuesday that the hotel was closing down due to financial losses.

But Mr Lowe said the union and workers knew the Budelli Company, which took over the Limerick Ryan Hotel from the Gresham Group in June, had plans to develop it into a hotel with an apartment complex and will “make millions” from the redevelopment.

“The statutory redundancy offer is an insult to the employees and we have asked the company to come back with a new offer,” said Mr Lowe.

Head hotel porter John Walsh, who has worked there for 34 years, described the closure as “the end of an era” for a hotel that opened in 1967.

“There are many young people working here that have big mortgages and they are very upset with the news that the hotel is closing down.”

Meanwhile, 60 more jobs are to be lost as the last major tannery in the country is to close.

Michell Ireland Limited which is based in Portlaw, Co Waterford, is to close before the end of the year.

The plant processes for export up to 25% of the cattle hides in the Republic.

The decision, which was taken by Michell’s Australian parent company this week, was announced to staff at the plant yesterday afternoon.

A company spokesperson said the decision to close the plant had been taken “with great reluctance”, but ongoing losses could no longer be sustained.

“Massive efforts by Michell Ireland management and employees over the last two years to rationalise, automate, improve efficiency and expand markets have not been enough to counteract the global rationalisation in the leather industry exacerbated by a strong euro and rising costs in Ireland,” a company spokesman said.