Unions say they are hopeful the 280 workers who will be made redundant at a pharmaceutical plant in Co Wicklow will be re-employed before the closure happens.
The MSD (Merck Sharp Dohme) plant in Rathdrum will close by the end of 2015, it was announced yesterday.
The closure is part of a worldwide restructuring of the plant by MSD, which bought it from Schering Plough in 2009.
Speaking from Houston, Texas, where he is leading a four-day trade mission of 40 Irish companies, Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Richard Bruton said the two-year hiatus before redundancies happen would allow the IDA to look for a replacement for the Rathnew facility. “I am determined to ensure, working closely with the IDA and the company, that no stone is left unturned in the search for a replacement operator for this modern facility and its highly qualified workforce,” he said.
Time to retrain
Siptu organiser Frank Jones said staff had been informed there would be no redundancies before the end of 2014, giving staff time to retrain.
“While this news has come as a shock to workers and their families, the fact that management has been able to provide members with this length of notice is welcome,” he said.
“It is our intention to secure agreement with the company that the time between now and the redundancies is used to ensure that each and every member receives the opportunity to train up so that they will be in a position to secure employment elsewhere when their employment ends with MSD.”
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