Materials

Smurfit Kappa Cartons is to close its Coolock plant in Dublin with the loss of 140 jobs.

Trade union Unite GPM revealed today (9 May) that staff were informed last December of a survival plan outlining major restructuring and redundancies as well as cuts in weekly wages.

But a meeting in March between Smurfit Kappa, shop stewards and union officials confirmed this had failed and the company has now decided to shut the plant.

Unite official Brendan Byrne said: “Smurfit Kappa appears not to be committed to manufacturing in Ireland as is evidenced by the closure of Smurfit Print and Smurfit Paper Mills.”

The company said it has been affected by pressure currently being experienced in the Irish manufacturing sector.