Séamus Healy (Tipperary South, Workers and Unemployed Action Group) | Oireachtas source

The decision to close Borrisoleigh makes me angry because it is quite obvious to everybody that C&C acquired Gleeson's with the sole intention of closing it down. It had a number of goes at that, including 40 redundancies not too long ago.

The Minister referred to commercial realities. The commercial realities are that this company is very profitable, making in the region of €120 million profit every year. This is an unnecessary closure.

To suggest that workers in Borrisoleigh will transfer to Clonmel is probably unrealistic. It is 58 minutes to an hour from Borrisoleigh to Clonmel and it is very unlikely that many of those workers would be able to take up offers of jobs in Clonmel. The priority must be to try to save these jobs. Will the Minister intervene directly with the company, which is to a large degree supported by Enterprise Ireland, to stop this closure and save these jobs?

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