Bausch & Lomb to brief staff on cuts today

Staff at US eye care firm Bausch & Lomb will be briefed today on a possible 200 job cuts at its Waterford city plant.

The 1,400 workers were put on a shorter working time at the end of January, taking one week's unpaid leave every month, but speculation has mounted that the latest talks are aimed at reducing the workforce through voluntary redundancies.

Weekend, day and night workers will be briefed at separate meetings and unions will meet company bosses at 1pm.

A spokesman for Bausch & Lomb said meetings had been planned from midday and running up until 5pm tomorrow evening allowing workers to hear redundancy plans first hand.

Bausch & Lomb opened its Waterford facility in 1980 and is one of the biggest employers in the south-east. The company is one of the world's leading suppliers of eye health products including contact lenses.