The Irish Glass Bottle (IGB) plant in Ringsend is to close at the end of June with the loss of 375 jobs. Dublin-based glass company Ardagh which owns the IGB plant said the plant had become increasingly uncompetitive.
Ardagh manufactures and sells glass containers, chiefly bottles. The company said its competitiveness had been steadily eroded in recent years and it had been unable to secure new work practices at the facility.
Ardagh was delisted from the London Stock Exchange in January due the low volume of trading in the company’s shares and the small number of British resident shareholders in the company.
Ardagh’s British subsidiary, Rockware, will continue to operate four plants in the UK.
Labour Party leader Mr Ruairi Quinn said the IGB plant has been a traditional industry in the Ringsend area for generations and the planned closure will be a huge blow to the area. He said the Tánnaiste Ms Harney should intervene.
Grenn Party TD John Gormley also called on the Tánaiste to become involved. He said: "Once again it is the workers who are punished while the company leaves the scene with their profits intact."
The plant is in both TDs constituency.
SIPTU, who represent staff at the plant, said workers were being punished for failures at management level and pledged to try to save the jobs.
"We plan to do everything possible to try to turn things around ... we won’t accept responsibility for poor management decisions if they result in plant closure," said Mr Gerry Lynch of SIPTU.