Regional 'catastrophe' as 200 jobs axed

MORE than 200 jobs were axed in north Kerry last night in what is being termed as a catastrophe for the region's workforce on a par with the Limerick pull-out by computer giant Dell.

Yesterday, German-owned company Amann confirmed that its textile factory in Tralee � the second-largest manufacturer employer in the region � is to be shut down on a phased basis from July until mid-2010, forcing hundreds more workers onto the 6,000-strong dole queues in the town.

Announcing the move to devastated workers yesterday, the company � which had already announced 120 lay-offs in January with the transfer of operations to Romania and Germany � said the 210 jobs that survived the earlier cull would now be condemned to a similar fate as the remaining facilities are to be transferred to Amann�s China-based operations.