Jobs losses greets touring Taoiseach

TAOISEACH Bertie Ahern was given the worst possible welcome to the Midlands yesterday with a reminder that the economy is not as secure as he believes it is.

As he was about to arrive in Athlone, one of its high-quality employers told staff it is to close its doors.

The Conor Medsystems plant confirmed a loss of 165 jobs.

As Dáil hopeful Mary O’Rourke had her constituency office preparing to welcome the touring Taoiseach, news was breaking about the job losses down the road.

Local opposition candidates immediately went on the attack.

The Labour Party’s Willie Penrose said: “Athlone, and the Midlands in general, can ill-afford job losses on this scale. The challenge remains to attract new employers to the region to provide sustainable jobs for all families.”

Fine Gael candidate for Roscommon/Leitrim, Den-is Naughten, said it was a blot on the Government’s record on employment in the region.

“The announcement by Conor Medsystems, which is a high-value employer, again highlights the vulnerability of the Irish economy to foreign direct investment and specifically in the area of manufacturing, which is being relocated to lower- cost countries,” he said.

ConMed was an indigenous company manufacturing a method of drug delivery which was designed to maximise the amount of medication patients could absorb.

In recent times the company was bought by Johnson&Johnson which yesterday announced it would be shutting it down.

The parent company told investors that while safety tests had been positive, the product had not been as effective as it was supposed to be.