Related Stories

• School’s musical is a theatrical blast from the past
  
  
• Driving simulator a help for students
  
  
• Irish Traveller inspires Friday prayer meeting
  
  
• Michael the toast of Tallow Tóstal
  
  
• Brand Lismore caption competition
  
  
• Assurance sought that Lismore fire station won’t be downgraded
  
  
• Neighbourhood Watch receives funding
  
  
• 2013 Charleville Show launched
  
  
• Historic graveyard exhibition a success
  
  
• McGrath – Hospital reconfiguration has ups and downs
  
  
• Cakes and crafts in aid of St Joseph’s
  
  
• Kilbehenny gears up for cycle in aid of community hall
  
  

The Sanmina SCI factory on the Rathealy Road is to shed part of its workforce.

There was bad news on the jobs front for Fermoy this week, with news that the Sanmina SCI factory on the Rathealy Road is to shed part of its workforce.

It's understood that in the region of 70 jobs are to go, but that the company is attempting to minimise the effect by seeking as many voluntary redundancies as possible. It is further understood that, if successful, the amount of enforced redundancies would be around 20.

Workers were advised of the situation late last week and were told of a further meeting which was to be held this week and attended by senior officials from the company's headquarters.

The electronics company which manufactures devices mainly for the medical sector, remains the town's biggest employer with over 300 people working there. It cut its workforce by 40 at the end of 2010 and announced a further 70 job losses early in 2011. A number of those laid off at that time were later rehired as the market for the company's products picked up.

Repeated attempts by The Avondhu to speak with members of management about the situation this week were unsuccessful and no statement was forthcoming from them at the time of going to press.

Local Minister Sean Sherlock told The Avondhu on Wednesday of his regret at news of the impending job losses. "My first thoughts are with the workers and families who will be affected by this announcement. In the short term we must ensure that those who are laid off will have the necessary supports made available to them," he said.

He revealed that he'd spoken to the IDA about the matter and said they'd assured him of their commitment to Fermoy and Ireland.

"This contract manufacturing company is still an important facility and thankfully many jobs have been saved but the movement of manufacturing jobs to Asia to a much lower cost base is certainly having a massive negative effect for towns like Fermoy," the Minister added.

Attracting jobs to north Cork remains "a big priority" he stressed. "We just restore our natural advantage in food and leverage opportunities with the growth in the dairy sector," he explained, saying that, in future, jobs in north Cork will come from the food sector. "We already have 12 companies located at Teagasc Moorepark. I am working to create a 'Food Valley' cluster of high-tech food related companies working in the agri-food sector in a location right at the heart of Ireland's dairy sector and close to world class research facilities. This will benefit Fermoy, Mitchelstown and Mallow," he said.

Councillor and Chairman of Fermoy Business Action Group, Noel McCarthy said he was very disappointed to hear of any job losses in the town and especially in the town's biggest employer.

"Hopefully the rest of the jobs can be protected and the company can trade out of this present difficulty as they have done on a number of occasions in the past," he said.

Cllr Tadhg O'Donovan felt an immediate statement should be issued to end any uncertainty and make the workers aware of what the present situation is "because, however bad the situation is, the sooner the workers concerned realise the full extent of the problem they can address it in their own individual cases," he said.

blog comments powered by Disqus