Cork-based pharmaceutical company GE Healthcare is to cut up to 50 jobs over the next 12 months in response to a “plateau in demand” for its products.
Staff were informed yesterday about the changes. GE Healthcare manufactures imaging media for usein X-ray and MR machines.
Imaging media are pharmaceutical solutions that can be injected into a patient to provide a better image of a part of the body being examined. Around 70 per cent of GE Healthcare’s imaging media product is manufactured in Cork.
The company employs around 500 people at its plant in Carrigtwohill, around 445 of which arefull-time employees. Since building its manufacturing plant in 1992, GE Healthcare has increased its workforce from 43.
In a statement a spokesman said the "Medical Diagnostics division of GE Healthcare will be adjusting production to better match projected customer demand.”
“While the exact number of roles affected by these changes is subject to consultation, the company anticipates that up to about 50 roles could be affected over the next 12 months.”
“The company regrets the loss of any job and will work hard to minimise as far as possible the impact of any changes.” The spokesman said it was possible that some of the redundancies would be on a compulsory basis.
Cork east Fine Gael deputy David Stanton said the job losses would be a blow to an area that he said has already seen unemployment rise 84 per cent in the last year.
“This is a massive blow to the whole East Cork area which has seen a significant rise in unemployment in the last 12 months. The live register increased by 73 per cent in Midleton in the last 12 months, and by 84 per cent in Cobh.
The plant has been in receipt of IDA support.
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