There was bad news on the employment front for Co Kerry today as German-owned specialist textile plant Amann announced it plans to cut 120 jobs.
The jobs at Amann Industries Corporation in the Clash industrial estate Tralee are to be transferred to existing Amann group facilities in Romania and Germany.
Amann currently employs 340 people at the Tralee plant.
Managing director at the plant Frank O'Reilly blamed overall manufacturing costs as well as the ongoing recession.
"The requirement to reduce overall manufacturing costs, combined with the impact of the continuing recessionary trends throughout global markets, mae this regrettable development a commercial necessity," he said.
Amann set up in Tralee in 1998 after buying the former Klopman textile plant, in what was seen as a a major jobs announcement for the town by then tánaiste Mary Harney. The plant produces high quality technical sewing threads for the automotive, fashion and textile industries.
Siptu branch secretary Con Casey said the extent of the job losses was “dire”. He said the workers were shocked and very angry.
Fine Gael TD Jimmy Deenihan said there was an urgent need to focus on addressing the job shortage in the region, and to secure the 220 jobs remaining at Amann.
"This is terrible news for the people of Tralee and the surrounding area and will have undoubted knock on effects for other businesses in the town," he said.
"It represents an abject failure by the Government to be pro-active in regard to job creation at local level. Tralee did not benefit from the Celtic Tiger in the first place with industrial employment falling in the area by over 50 per cent over the last 10 years. Unemployment figures in the area are grim with numbers on the live register rapidly approaching 6,000 from 4,000 just last year. This is a damning indictment of Government job creation in the region."
Local Sinn Féin councillor Cathal Foley who flagged the job losses last week said he expected a reduction in working hours or some job losses “but nothing on this scale”.