Clare Fianna Fáil TD Timmy Dooley has said the announcement by Roche Ireland that is to cease production at its Clarecastle facility is a “devastating bolt out of the blue.”
Deputy Dooley has been in contact with staff at the plant this evening.
He commented: “A huge effort is needed now from the Government to work on finding an appropriate buyer for the plant and work on saving these jobs. 240 people are employed by Roche in Clarecastle and the loss of these jobs would have an enormous impact on the employees themselves as well as the local community and the economy in the Midwest.
“The immediate shock for the workers will quickly turn to concern for their future livelihoods and the Government needs to do everything it can to respond quickly and comprehensively to this announcement.
“Sadly this announcement highlights a weakness of the regional economy. Today we had another glossy PR driven announcement by the Government with ‘Enterprise 2025’. This country has serious cost issues, especially in energy, waste costs and legal costs. We have been highlighting this for some time and this has even been highlighted internationally but the government is merely burying their heads in the sand instead of tackling these issues in order to protect existing jobs and future investment opportunities.”
