Another jobs loss announcement for Waterford

200 jobs out of work force of around 1,200 at one of the South-East’s biggest employers Bausch & Lomb in Waterford city are at risk. The Company is the largest private employers in country.

The company which produces eye care products which was taken over last year by Canadian company Valeant which is Canada’s largest drug manufacturers will also be asking the remaining workforce to take a 20 percent pay cut bringing costs in line with those in Rochester in New York where the company say wage rates are in the region of 30 percent lower.

It is understood that the redundancies will be voluntary at first.

The Pharmaceuticals giant Valeant which owns the plant employs 13,000 people worldwide.

The company has said discussions with staff and union representatives will begin next Tuesday and the company hopes to reach a decision in principle by June 17.

It is understood that the Government and IDA Ireland have both been briefed on the situation and that Waterford’s four elected members to Dáil Eireann met with the Jobs Minister Richard Bruton this morning.

RTE News have reported that Independent TD for Waterford John Halligan said it is "deeply disturbing" that Minister for Jobs Richard Bruton knew jobs were on the line for a number of months and did not bring it to the attention of the Dáil.

Last October, the company announced that 48 temporary staff were to be laid off.

In recent years, Waterford has become a jobs black spot. Earlier this year Honeywell previously known as Measurex, was to close with the loss of 26 full-time jobs.

In October last year Honeywell Turbo Technologies announced that the firm would be laying off 74 staff members.

Last May, Citibank decided to close its office in Waterford which employs around 50 people but they expected some of the staff affected would be offered redeployment to the Dublin office of the bank.

In April 2013 Diageo announced that there were closing their Waterford plant and transferring operations to Dublin.

In 2011 Talk Talk closed in Waterford with a loss of 575 jobs

In 2010 Teva Pharmaceuticals announced to their staff that there would 50% of their 730 workforce were be made redundant.

In 2009 Bausch and Lombe announced it was to shed 120. This announcement came hot on the heels of news that ABB engineering is to close with the loss of 178 jobs.

In 2007 Waterford Crystal confirmed it was planning 490 lay-offs in a cost containment exercise and that production would be transferred to Europe. A spokesman said that the decision to cut jobs had been made with the goal of making the 510 remaining jobs more secure. The company closed down in 2009.

2007 also saw French pharmaceutical company Sanofi-Aventis decide to close it Irish manufacturing facility in Waterford with a loss of 200 jobs.

In 2006 Hasbro announced 140 job losses at their Waterford factory.

In recent times, a considerable amount of jobs have also been lost in different areas of the county.