The Longford petfood factory which was devastated by a fire is set to make 145 workers redundant, it emerged tonight.
C&D Foods plan to increase the workforce from its present level of 173 to around 260 by the end of the month, as it brings a third line in its aluminium tray production section into operation again.
But around 145 permanent employees of the original 500-strong workforce in Edgeworthstown will be offered redundancy.
Around 100 temporary employees who make up the remainder of the workforce will be offered an ex-gratia payment to compensate for the loss of their jobs.
The C&D Foods managing director Philip Reynolds informed workers of developments at a packed meeting in the Longford Arms Hotel.
"He has advised them that there will be around 100 redundancies because there's no chance of the plant being rebuilt within 18 months to two years," said SIPTU Longford Representative Seamus McNamee.
SIPTU will be negotiating on behalf of another 45 permanent workers who had not the two years service needed to qualify for statutory redundancy.
Another 20 former workers are expected to take up new jobs in a new company.
C&D Foods was established by former Taoiseach Albert Reynolds in 1969 and currently has contracts to supply major British supermarket chains including Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury.
Its manufacturing operations were temporarily suspended today to allow all of the workforce to attend the meeting.
Mr McNamee said the jobs announcement had crystallised the issue for the workers and allowed them to plan for their future. "They are a lot more positive than they were in the first week. He's told us it is his intention to remain in the business."
The workers were also told by Mr Reynolds that a decision on the re-opening of the factory's cannery, which was totally destroyed in the fire, could not be made until negotiations with the insurance company were concluded.