SOME 50 jobs are to be lost in Dublin, Cork and Lisburn, Co Antrim, following a decision by plastic pipe manufacturer Wavin to lay off almost one-quarter of its Irish workforce.
The company, which employs 198 people in Ireland and has its main plant at Balbriggan in north Co Dublin, said the redundancies come as a direct result of the declining construction market.
A spokesman for Wavin said the measures would help it adjust to the existing market environment and continue to play a leading role in Ireland. He added that he could not say specifically how many jobs would be lost in Dublin, Lisburn and Cork.
Trade union Siptu, which represents the majority of Wavin staff, will meet management on Tuesday as part of a formal consultation process on the lay-offs.
Michelle Quinn of Siptu said the jobs would be lost before July, which provided "a narrow, but important, window of opportunity" for the union to explore its options.
"We are committed to supporting our members in every possible way and will be meeting management with a view to taking a proactive approach in meeting the challenges ahead," she said.
The announcement has led to angry reaction from opposition politicians, with north Dublin Fine Gael TD James Reilly blaming the Government's economic policies.
"The slowdown in the construction industry as a result of the Government's debt-fuelled property boom has exposed how threadbare their economic strategy is and it is hard-pressed families that are bearing the brunt."
Green Party Junior Minister and north Dublin TD Trevor Sargent said he had secured a commitment from Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Micheál Martin to visit the area to meet Wavin employees, management and the local chamber of commerce.
Average weekly earnings among construction workers increased 7 per cent in 2007, from €794 to €849, according to new data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO).
There was an increase of 5 per cent in the hourly rate paid to all grades, from €17.90 to €18.77, and the average number of hours worked increased by 2 per cent from 44.3 hours to 45.2 hours, the CSO said.
