Fears were growing last night for the future of up to 150 jobs at the American-owned Motorola plant in Cork after workers were advised yesterday that the company would be seeking to cut back on its 500-strong workforce.
A Motorola spokesman last night said that the company was in discussions with some of its staff in Cork regarding the company's future business requirements at its Mahon site on the city's southside.
"No decisions have been made at this stage and, as always, we are committed to communicating with our employees first and will not comment on rumour or speculation." However, staff were yesterday advised by management that they would be seeking up to 150 job cuts at the facility. According to one source, the company is legally obliged to engage in consultation with staff about the exact numbers of jobs that they are hoping to cut and this process could take up to 30 days before decisions are made on how many and who are to be let go. The Cork plant was established in 1981.
On Tuesday, Motorola, which employs 68,000 worldwide, reported a marginal drop in profits to $686 million.
The reason for the cutbacks in the Cork operation wasn't clear last night.
The Cork plant has escaped relatively unscathed compared to other Motorola facilities during a series of cutbacks over the past number of years.