There had been rumours that all was not well at the General Semiconductor plant in Macroom, Co Cork. When workers gathered yesterday they Since the US company established a factory in Macroom in 1982, the town had been upbeat. General Semiconductor added millions of pounds to the local economy.
As employment grew steadily, it was confidently expected that within two to three years 1,000 permanent jobs would be created. There had, however, been rumblings. Order books were not as good as they might have been, management told Fine Gael TD Mr Michael Creed when he visited the facility last January, but there was never any indication that things had become so serious. Then last month General Semiconductor indicated it was preparing a worldwide rationalisation plan.
Again there were fears of redundancies, but never any suspicion that every single job would be lost. This announcement was followed by news that another US giant in the semiconductor sector, Vishay, was preparing to take over General Semiconductor. As far as workers were concerned that could only mean a better and more secure future.
"I made a habit of visiting the plant at least once a year and last January I got no inkling of what was coming," Mr Creed said.
His Fianna Fail colleague on Cork County Council, Mr Donal Moynihan, said he had been in touch with the Taoiseach by telephone and had been promised every possible help in trying to find a replacement industry.
Throughout the afternoon workers gathered outside the factory and in nearby pubs and hotels to discuss the situation. Mr Pat O'Riordan, who is single, said many of the workers felt something was wrong at the plant and had been prepared for major job losses, although not for complete closure.
Mr Joe Healy and his wife, Paula, are both employed by General Semiconductor and have three children. Before deciding what move to make next, they said, they would wait to hear from the Tanaiste, Ms Harney, when she visits Macroom on Monday.
Ms Siobhan O'Neill, a "single mother with a mortgage and a teenager", said she had already begun filling in application forms in the hope of finding a new job before she was let go by General Semiconductor.
"As far as I understand it, they will be letting people go gradually between now and Christmas, so we may just have time to find something else. Really, I don't know what I'm going to do, but if I do find something else, almost certainly I will be travelling to my new job," she said.
Mr Pat O'Connell, chairman of Macroom Urban District Council, said the UDC would meet on Monday night to discuss the setting up of a task force and how best to respond to news of the closure. "This is a disastrous day for the town and the only good thing is that we have a few months in which to try to find something else," he added.
Mr Steve Cowman, the vice president of General Semiconductor, said making the announcement to the staff was the most difficult task he had ever undertaken. But there was nothing the company could do except respond to the situation in which it found itself.