Limerick hit as up to 800 lose their jobs

LIMERICK was reeling yesterday after news that up to 700 temporary workers were to be laid off at computer giant Dell and 100 people are to lose their jobs at Flextronics.

Although the 3,000 permanent Dell jobs are not affected, the scale of the temporary layoffs has sparked new fears over the future of the biggest employer in the mid-west, where a further 10,000 jobs are dependent on the facility. A Dell spokesperson would not quantify the scale of the job losses, saying there was nothing unusual in the reduction of temporary staff. However, sources at the plant said the number could be as high as 700. Yesterday marked the end of the business quarter and the company said it was standard practice to let temporary workers go at the end of a cycle.

Up to 100 of the 290 full-time jobs at Flextronics are to be lost next week. The company would not comment. Flextronics provides warehousing and logistical services to companies including Dell. Talks between unions and the company have been ongoing and a decision on the number of job losses is expected next week.