More job losses for South Kerry

TOURISM Minister John O’Donoghue was coming under pressure yesterday to act on the jobs crisis in his Kerry South constituency.

A huge factory premises will be empty, once again, in Killarney following the closure of the Sara Lee factory with the loss of 92 jobs. Sara Lee once had around 250 people on the Killarney payroll.

The factory had housed Pretty Polly, which once employed 1,000 people before Sara Lee arrived.

Mr O’Donoghue yesterday said he would be asking the State agencies to seek a replacement industry.

The company has decided to cease production because of market difficulties and “significant over-capacity” of its seamless knitted product. The company had broken even last year and was heading for losses this year.

Over the past three years Killarney has lost four companies and over 600 jobs. Other parts of the region have also been hit. Wilson Sports Sock in Caherciveen has closed while 30 jobs are expected to be lost at Jet Ahu in Killorglin.