The loss of 138 jobs at an Oranmore engineering firm is a “huge blow” to Galway, according to a local TD, who says that companies facing difficulties need to be identified and assisted before their situations hit crisis point.
Labour Party TD Michael D Higgins says that the job losses last week at APW Engineering have come as “a massive shock to the workforce and to the area”, saying that there had been no warning of the closure in the weeks leading up to action.
The multinational engineering firm, who specialise in the contract manufacturing of electronic products, went into receivership late last week, citing “challenging market conditions” as the reason for the decision. All 138 employees were informed on Thursday evening of the closure.
“My thoughts first and foremost are with those workers who have been plunged into financial uncertainty, and who now face a very bleak Christmas, particularly in light of the fact that it may be some months before they receive any form of redundancy payment,” said Deputy Higgins, who added that the IDA, Enterprise Ireland, and the Department of Enterprise, Trade, and Employment need to establish a working group to identify and assist other companies who may be facing economic difficulties to prevent situations like this happening again.
