500 jobs to go as Iralco close plant in midlands

ONE of the longest established manufacturing companies in the midlands is to close with a loss of 500 jobs.

This latest devastating blow to the employment-hit region was announced yesterday by the Iralco factory in Co Westmeath.

The company, which manufactures car components for auto manufacturers including Volvo, Ford and Volkswagen, has been in Collinstown since 1964.

The company said it has been experiencing difficulties and was struggling to operate successfully against increasing manufacturing costs in a competitive global market.

Yesterday’s shock announcement represented the third major job blow to the midlands in recent weeks, following on the loss of 66 jobs in Kimball Electronics in Longford and 100 jobs at Nexans in Athlone.

Fine Gael’s labour affairs spokesman Damien English TD said the closure of the Iralco factory will be devastating for the area.

It was, he said, another example of the Fianna Fáil Government’s failure to control rising business costs in Ireland.

“The company has already transferred a large number of jobs to a facility in Eastern Europe,” he said.

“Iralco is a pivotal employer in this part of Co Westmeath.

“For 30 years it has provided regular work for employees across a large swathe of the county, with many staff travelling from 40 miles away on a daily basis.

“The loss of this facility will leave a gaping whole in the local economy and community which will be very hard to replace in the current economic downturn,” he said.

Labour TD Willie Penrose said the company drew its workforce from all over the midlands and the impact of this closure will be felt across several counties.

“While the direct loss of 400 jobs is of principal concern, the fear must be that there will knock-on impact on companies that supplied and serviced Iralco. It is now quite clear that the increase in live register numbers is not due solely to the decline in construction and that jobs are also being lost at an alarming rate in the manufacturing sector. We simply cannot afford to continue to lose well paid manufacturing jobs at this rate,” Deputy Penrose said.

“I have already been in touch with the office of the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Micheál Martin, urging him to make every effort to ensure that the plant is retained as a going concern and that the maximum number of jobs are saved. Failing this, the industrial development agencies must be told to give absolute priority to the search for a replacement industry,” he said.