In Short

A round-up of other regional news stories in brief

A round-up of other regional news stories in brief

Workers in drive to protect health jobs

A new campaign has been set up by unions whose jobs are threatened by further cutbacks in the health service in the west.

Save Our Services was launched in Galway yesterday following a protest outside the biggest hospital in the region.

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About 100 workers staged a protest outside University Hospital Galway at which the inter-union campaign was launched in an effort to garner support to battle proposed health cutbacks.

Unions representing workers and officials of HSE West are participating in talks looking at examining all the options in dealing with a €91m deficit.

Siptu, Impact and the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation say they are afraid that up to 1,000 jobs could be at risk.

This is top of the agenda at the talks which are taking place at a local level in a number of areas from Donegal to Limerick.

A deadline of August 31st has been agreed between the parties.

64 supermarket jobs for Moyross

The Moyross housing estate in Limerick is set for a €600,000 investment with the reopening of the estate's only supermarket, writes Kathryn Hayes.

The former Supervalu premises at Watch House Cross was due to close with the loss of 54 jobs. However Eurospar is to take over the premises, due to reopen next month. The owner of the new premises has confirmed that all 54 jobs will be retained, saying there is potential to double the amount of jobs in the future.

Moyross is Limerick’s largest council estates and is one of four areas included in the massive regeneration plan for some of the most disadvantaged parts of Limerick city.

The Community Development Network in Moyross has welcomed the announcement. “We welcome this investment in our community and we’re particularly pleased that jobs are being maintained,” said spokesman Juan Carlos Azzopardi.

The shopping facility will officially reopen as Eurospar on September 3rd with Mayor of Limerick Maria Byrne set to cut the ribbon.

Eurospar owner Maurice Smith said yesterday that all jobs would be retained and 10 new jobs created.

North inquiry into Eirgrid pylon links

The anti-pylon group in Co Monaghan, which opposes new cross-Border electricity links that would be overground rather than under, has welcomed news that a separate public inquiry is to be held in Northern Ireland.

The hearing is to take evidence for and against the project that has angered many on the Border in Tyrone and Armagh as well as south of the Border in Cavan, Monaghan and Meath.

This latest setback for Eirgrid comes weeks after it was forced to withdraw its planning application in the Republic at a public hearing in Carrickmacross, Co Monaghan, after legal flaws were found. Eirgrid now has to reapply.

Minister for the Environment in the North Edwin Poots has ordered the Planning Appeals Commission to investigate the Northern section of the controversial development in relation to health concerns and the possibility of laying the power lines underground.