C&C in talks with Siptu over plan to close bottling plant

Bulmers cider-maker C&C has begun talks with Siptu over the group’s plan to close one of its Irish plants with the potential loss of 140 jobs.

C&C intends to close its water-bottling plant at Borrisoleigh, Co Tipperary, at which 144 staff work, and its cider facility in Shepton Mallet, Somerset, England, with the loss of 120 jobs, next summer.

The company has met representatives of Siptu to begin talks on its proposals for Borrisoleigh.

It is not know how long the negotiations are likely to take, but the company is obliged to consult with the workforce for a month before proceeding with any redundancies.

Siptu has confirmed that C&C has indicated to it there is a possibility that staff could relocate to the company’s Clonmel, Co Tipperary, plant, which it intends to expand and where it will hire an extra 80 people.

C&C is centralising production from Borrisoleigh and Shepton Mallet to Clonmel. It plans to spend €10 million at that location, most of which will be accounted for by a new plastic bottling plant.

The troubled group said last autumn it was seeking to cut €15 million a year in costs.