130 Flextronics staff lose jobs

ANOTHER 130 people are facing the dole after electronics components firm Flextronics confirmed plans to slash its Cork workforce in half.

The voluntary redundancies, which include 95 general operatives and 35 administrative staff at the Dublin Hill plant, will take place at the end of April.

As a result, less than 150 workers and fixed term staff will still be employed there by the start of May, with further cuts not ruled out.

The job losses are understood to be indirectly linked to the crisis at the Dell plant in Limerick, where 1,900 people lost their jobs in January due to the US firm moving its plant to Poland.

During a meeting at the start of March employees at Flextronics reluctantly agreed to take the voluntary redundancy package.

The Dublin Hill plant is location at the Kilbarry Industrial Estate in Cork and at one stage during the boom years employed more than 1,100 people.

Flextronics is one of the world’s largest logistics providers for the IT industry.