Waterford Crystal to retain just 200 staff in city

THE iconic Waterford Crystal brand which once employed more than 3,000 people in the southeast will soon have just 200 people left in Waterford city following the latest round of job cuts announced yesterday.

Already reeling from a 490-employee cull sought earlier in the year, staff were told yesterday morning that management wanted another 280 redundancies in its bid to cut costs and remain competitive.

The cuts will leave just 70 production staff in the Kilbarry plant in Waterford, mainly making luxury hand-crafted crystal goods for the on-site visitor centre and tourist trail. A total of 200 employees will include sales and marketing, maintenance and administrative staff in the city — down from 3,000 in the early 1980s.