THE LOSS of up to 40 jobs at a Rathdrum, Co Wicklow, plant announced by pharmaceutical giant MSD, formerly Merck Sharp and Dohme, yesterday has been described as a “massive blow” to the village.
The redundancies at the facility, which once employed 400 people, will see the workforce reduce to 280 by December 2012. The firm said it is seeking to “secure the future of the Wicklow plant” by implementing the competitiveness and cost efficiency programme.
The facility produces active pharmaceutical ingredients for the global market and has been in the area since 1961. Employees will be offered a “very competitive package”, a spokeswoman said.
She hoped redundancies would be achieved voluntarily, but if compulsory redundancies were needed they would be “fair and objective”. Negotiations between the company, staff and unions have begun.
Site director John Smyth said the plant remained a “key part” of the company’s manufacturing network “underpinned by a $55 million [€39.9 million] upgrade and expansion that has recently become operational”.
Labour Councillor Jimmy O’Shaughnessy said “it’s going to have a massive impact on local families here”, pointing out Rathdrum has a population of 1,400.
A worker who attended a meeting at the plant said he was worried about the future. “It was a real shock and out of the blue for me,” he said, declining to be named. “The workers are really low now over the announcement and are just devastated, as am I.”
Fine Gael TD for Wicklow Billy Timmins expressed regret at the move but hoped it would “lead to a stable and secure future for other workers and the plant”.
A spokeswoman for IDA Ireland said any job losses were “regrettable” but the realignment was to ensure the long term sustainability of the facility.