Beru to cut 20 jobs at Tralee plant
IN A further economic blow for Kerry it has been announced that car component manufacturer Beru is seeking 20 voluntary redundancies at its Tralee plant.
The German-owned company, which employs 202 people at the plant, announced it was seeking the jobs cuts because of the "continuing deteriorating economic conditions" in the global car industry.
Workers were told the cuts were necessary to "stabilise" the future of the Tralee plant, which is one of Tralee's few remaining large manufacturing employers.
The company, which specialises in the manufacture of fuel injection systems, has been badly hit by the fall off in the global automotive industry and increased competition from Eastern Europe and Asia.
A number of staff at the Tralee factory, located at the Monavalley Industrial Estate, have been working reduced hours since the middle of last year.
Up to 14 staff at Beru were working short time since the end of April 2008, this was then extended to most of the plant last October. The measure was extended indefinitely in January.
Announcing the redundancies, management blamed the continuing economic turmoil for the decision to cut the workforce.
"Due to the continuing deteriorating economic conditions, the company are seeking volunteers to apply for the company's voluntary redundancy programme to stabilise the plant and balance its workforce accordingly," the company said in an official statement released last week.
- SIMON BROUDER sbrouder@kerryman.ie
