Michelin had been operating in Ballymena since 1969
Going against the grain of a positive news cycle of job creation, around 1,010 jobs are to go across the island of Ireland as Michelin in Ballymena closes with the loss of 860 jobs, while 150 jobs are to go at Medtronic in Cherrywood, Dublin.
It emerged yesterday that 860 jobs are to be lost in Ballymena with the closure of Michelin’s tyre factory in the town.
The plant is to be wound down by mid-2018 as part of a restructuring plan that will see additional investment go to facilities in Dundee and Stoke-on-Trent.
It is the second major blow for Ballymena in a year; earlier this year it was announced that the Gallaher tobacco factory in the town was to close with the loss of 870 jobs.
Michelin has been operating the Ballymena facility since 1969. However, in recent years, managers have been warning that high energy costs were making production unsustainable.
Medtronic shifts contact centre jobs to elsewhere in Europe
In Cherrywood in Dublin, medical devices maker Medtronic-Covidien is to shed 150 jobs at its contact centre in Dublin.
The company said that it will be transferring its customer care roles to locations across Europe.
Sales, commercial and finance teams at Cherrywood will not be affected by the move.
Medtronic merged with Covidien earlier this year as part of a $49.9bn acquisition and began trading on the New York Stock Exchange.
Michelin image via Shutterstock
