Warning as firm ignores talks

A UNION representing workers who are set to lose their jobs at a chipboard factory in Co Clare has accused the company of endangering the remaining jobs at the plant by refusing to attend a Labour Court hearing tomorrow.

Finsa Forest Products, based in Scariff, informed staff last month that it plans to shed up to 50 jobs. While the company has gradually reduced staff numbers in recent years, last month’s announcement came from the blue for staff at one of east Clare’s biggest employers.

The chip-board and timber products manufacturing company has been a significant employer in the area for several decades, but has initiated a restructuring process following a decline in demand from its clients in the building trade.