Nuacht na nOibrithe

BY Justin Moran

NEC closure devastates Meath

About 350 full and part-time employees will lose their job this September with the closure of the NEC Semiconductors plant at Ballivor, County Meath. The factory has operated there for 30 years and was Meath's second biggest employer.

The closure is part of a trend of manufacturing jobs going overseas that has met with no coherent response from the government. The plant's relocation to the east will allow the Japanese company to employ workers at a quarter of the cost.

Sinn Féin Meath County Councillor Joe Reilly said: "This is nothing less than a disaster for the workers and the local area. We should be looking for the return of the facility to the control of the Council to either facilitate replacement industry or provide a base for the development of local indigenous industry. Regardless, we urgently need proper re-skilling for these employees."

Pickets shut down Collen's

Andrew Clarke, Keith Kelly and Billy McClurg have been in prison for almost two weeks following their refusal to end pickets of the Collen Construction site on Laurel Avenue because of its alleged refusal to hire locals or trade union labour.

Dún Laoghaire Sinn Féin representative Michael Nolan has called for the immediate release of the men. A protest march in solidarity with the imprisoned workers, who have become known as the Ballybrack 3 saw 400 people march through Dublin last week.

Solidarity pickets have now succeeded in closing down three Collen's construction sites in Dublin.