Carrick on Suir has been dealt a hammer blow with the news that one of it’s longest established employers is to close.
Corman Miloko produces dairy spreads and butterfat products at their facility on the outskirts of the town.
The plant has been operating for over half a century on the Kilsheelan side of Carrick on Suir having originally produced chocolate crumb.
Corman Miloko was established in 2005 as a joint venture by Belgian based Corman and Irish company Tirlán (formerly Glanbia) on a 55% – 45% ownership basis.
A statement from the company to Tipp FM this afternoon said what they describe as ‘this difficult decision’ arises as a result of a reduction in the volume of business contracted at the facility in recent years and following significant restructuring efforts to enable it to operate in a highly competitive marketplace.
31 employees at the site are impacted by the closure which is due to take effect at the end of June this year.
Production will continue until that time. The company say they will now liaise with employees and their representatives through this process.
Following the news Unit Trade Union issued the following statement:
Trade union Unite, which represents workers in the Corman Miloko plant in Carrick-on-Suir, today expressed shock at the decision by management to close down the facility. The union said it will be engaging with the company at the earliest opportunity to explore re-deployment options while also working to maximise redundancy packages for those workers let go. Corman Miloko is a joint venture between dairy products giant Tirlán (formerly Glanbia) and the Belgian company Corman, part of the Bangrain group.
Commenting, Unite Regional Officer Eoin Drummey said:
“Workers were told today that the company’s board had decided to close its Carrick-on-Suir site. Corman-Miloko also operates a site in Ballyragget, Kilkenny, while Tirlán employs around 2,000 people at locations around the country. Unite will be using the consultation period to explore redeployment opportunities for our members, in addition to negotiating the best possible redundancy packages for workers being let go.
“Given that Cormon-Miloko is part of a joint venture involving Tirlán, which has its roots in Ireland’s cooperative movement, we hope that management will engage constructively with Unite to minimise the impact of today’s announcement on individual workers and the local community”.
