Motorola downsizes Cork facility
18-12-2006
by Emmet Ryan

It was a black Friday for the staff of Motorola in Cork as 59 jobs were cut from the company's plant in the Mahon industrial estate.

The layoffs from the firm's software development plant in Cork follow 30 voluntary job cuts from the company in June. The facility employs around 400 people and the job losses were first mooted in September when the company announced it was entering into discussions with staff over the future of the site.

"I was pretty shocked to hear about it," a Motorola employee made redundant last week told ENN. "People are expecting more [losses]. There are rumours spreading; on the ground they are talking about 'worst case scenarios'."

A spokeswoman for the company said Motorola could not comment any further until the consultation process with staff at the plant is completed.

Motorola Ireland recorded pre-tax profits of EUR2.6 million with a turnover of EUR53.8 million last year. The company employs 68,000 staff worldwide and had a global turnover of EUR27 billion in 2005.

The Motorola redundancies follow the announcement in September of 200 job cuts by Banta from its Hollyhill Industrial Estate plant in Cork. The job losses at the Cork facility, which employs 350 people, followed a decision by the tech firm to move part of its operation to the Czech Republic.