US computer company Gateway is pulling out of Ireland with the loss of 900 jobs.
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A spokeswoman for Gateway said it was "practically a certainty" that the company will begin a phased closure of its European headquarters in Clonshaugh in north Co Dublin in September and should be completed by end of the year or early next year.
In April Gateway laid off 200 staff as the slowing global economy hit the technology sector.
Gateway's sales in Europe fell by 46 per cent during the past quarter, making it the worst performing area for Gateway worldwide. Sales in the US and Asia fell by 36 per cent.
The Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise Trade and Employment, Ms Harney said the closure will come as "a major blow to the employees concerned and their families."
In a statement this evening Ms Harney said she has instructed the IDA and FÁS to work with the company to ensure that everything possible will be done to find alternative employment for the Gateway workforce.
Gateway is entering a 30-day consultation period with staff to work out compensation packages. The company has not issued any redundancy notice to staff as yet, according to the Gateway spokeswoman. "The company has been communicating today with all its Irish based business partners and suppliers and is keeping them in the loop" the spokeswoman added. Some of Gateway’s major Irish based suppliers include Hewlett Packard and Intel.