Thirty jobs at Tubex Ireland Ltd are under threat following the closure of one of the company's three factories in Nenagh, Co Tipperary.

Workers at Tubexs manufacturing facility at Lisboney Industrial Estate in Nenagh were told about the closure on Monday night and early yesterday morning.

A spokesman for Tubex said some workers would be re-employed at its other two manufacturing facilities at Gorlandroe Industrial Estate in Nenagh and at Portroe outside Nenagh.

This is the second time workers have been laid off in the past two months (21 temporary workers were laid-off in July last).

Negotiations continue between SIPTU and the company over redundancy packages and the relocation of workers.

The union said yesterday, attempts to reemploy workers at Tubex's other Nenagh facilities do not take away from the seriousness of the situation.

Nenagh branch secretary Mr Tom O'Driscoll warned that the recent downturn in the global economy is not only affecting information technology companies.

It is worrying for SIPTU that closures are creeping into non-IT sector.

Traditional industry is being eroded away, he said.