Clonmel Chamber: 200 Abbott job cuts to affect many counties

on 22/02/2013 08:01:15

Clonmel Chamber of Commerce has said the decision to cut more than 200 jobs at Abbott in Tipperary will have far-reaching effects outside the county.

The medical devices manufacturer announced last night that it is seeking 200 voluntary redundancies, and that a few dozen contractors will also be let go.

The company, which has a workforce of 1,400 in Clonmel, said the cuts were being made to allow it to focus on newer, more advanced devices for heart disease.

CEO of Clonmel Chamber of Commerce Brain Cleary said Abbott is a huge employer, not only in Tipperary but across the Midlands.

He said their employees were drawn from a very large hinterland.

"In Ireland they employ 3,200 across 11 sites, but in the Clonmel site alone they employ 1,400 so...they don't all just come from the town of Clonmel," he said.

"I know people who travel from south Wexford, north Cork, parts of Limerick and parts of the Midlands and of course from (different) parts of Tipperary."