Clothing company Fruit of the Loom is to shut its two Irish factories with the loss of 650 jobs.
About 370 people in Buncrana, Donegal and 260 in Campsie, Derry will be made redundant over the next five years.
Fruit of the
The company said its Irish manufacturing plants were no longer cost competitive.
It blamed falling prices in the European clothes market, wage increases in Ireland and the decision of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to remove quotas on imported products from the Far East.
A company spokeswoman said: "We appreciate that this news will come as a shock to our 630 employees in Derry and Donegal, but we believe it is in everyone's best interest to make this announcement at this early stage."
Fruit of the
More than 1,300 of these jobs were lost in the past five years as the company transferred its entire sewing operation to Morocco.
PA
Loom is transferring its spinning, knitting and dyeing operations to Morocco, where it already employs 1,700 people.
Loom was established in Ireland in 1987 and employed more than 3,500 people at its peak.