The threat of Mondelez Ireland, which owns Cadbury’s Ireland, to close its gum base production plant in Tallaght in early 2016, which follows closure of other iconic names like Jacobs and Fruitfield, has been described as blow for manufacturing jobs in the locality by Sinn Fein TD Seán Crowe

Crowe said the job loss announcement has come like a bolt of the blue and has left workers and the local community feeling stunned.

Trade Union representatives are scheduled to meet with the management of Mondelez Ireland following the company’s announcement that it intends to implement up to 160 redundancies at its plants in Tallaght, Coolock and Rathmore in County Kerry.

Deputy Seán Crowe said:

“I fully support these workers and their union, SIPTU, in their attempts to minimize job losses and the devastating impact this will have on their families and the local economy.

“Employees at all the manufacturing plants in Tallaght, Coolock and Rathmore in County Kerry have given sterling service to this company over the years. This out of the blue announcement, coupled with the news that production is now being transferred from the Irish factories to Poland, has left many workers understandably angry and feeling let down.

“Many of the job losses are supposedly due to the company’s new plans to halt production of the Time Out and Pink Snack bars.

“Approximately 60 workers are now facing losing their jobs if the Tallaght plant closes. This closure, along with the announcement that the company is seeking to cut jobs at other plants is another a dark day for manufacturing in Ireland. For many years Cadbury’s has been an iconic brand supporting quality Irish jobs.

“These proposed job losses will be felt acutely in the locality as they follow the well-worn pattern of the closure of manufacturing plants such as Jacobs and Fruitfield Foods.

“I have requested a meeting with Jobs and Enterprise Minister Richard Bruton where I hope more information will be made available and what if anything can be done to stop this steady decline in manufacturing jobs.”

ENDS