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Updated at 9.30am
THE MANAGING DIRECTOR of Roche Ireland has said he was given no advance notice of the pharma giant’s decision to close its facility in Clarecastle in Co Clare.
The company announced yesterday that it plans to exit the site, where it has been in operation since 1974.
Gerry Cahill, Roche’s Ireland boss, has said management are “committed” to working with jobs minister Richard Bruton and the IDA to seek a buyer for the site.
No notice
Speaking on Morning Ireland today, he revealed he had not been given notice of the planned closure, which leaves 240 jobs in the balance.
“Nobody from this site was involved in the decision making process,” Cahill said, noting several times that the decision was made on a corporate level.
Roche announced its plan yesterday to exit sites in South Carolina, Spain, and Italy in addition to the Clarecastle plant. The company said it would be restructuring its manufacturing process for small molecules*.
“A new generation of specialised medicines based on small molecules requires novel manufacturing technologies and will be produced in lower volumes than traditional medicines,” a statement said.
The company, which employs 88,500 people worldwide, is investing in a dedicated facility in Switzerland “to support future technology requirements”.
‘Shock’
In his interview this morning, Cahill said news of the planned closure had been a shock for workers and for the wider community, adding that Roche would reach out to other pharma companies and contract manufacturers to seek a buyer for the plant.
The closure process would take three to four years, he said. If no buyer can be found, the first redundancies will happen next year.
Cahill said management at Clarecastle met with local Siptu reps yesterday, and plan to meet with area representatives in the coming days.
“The decision is final,” he said, reiterating that it was a corporate decision with no local involvement.
“The intent of us here is to find a buyer.”
Reaction
Fine Gael TD for Clarecastle Joe Carey said yesterday that “every effort” will be made to support the Roche workers.
“My thoughts are very much with the workers of Roche and their families at this difficult and uncertain time,” he said.
I know many of the workforce personally as well as their extended families.
Clare Fianna Fáil TD Timmy Dooley meanwhile described the news as “a devastating bolt out of the blue”.
“The loss of these jobs would have an enormous impact on the employees themselves as well as the local community and the economy in the Midwest,” he said.
The immediate shock for the workers will quickly turn to concern for their future livelihoods and the Government needs to do everything it can to respond quickly and comprehensively to this announcement.
*What are ‘small molecules’? More here. Additional reporting Daragh Brophy.
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18 months later and they are still discussing antigen testing. This Country never fails to amaze me
@Maurice O Neill: more money in PCR tests
@potnoodle: more accuracy in PCR tests.
@Tommy Roche: they are not supposed to replace PCR tests. They are another measure to help catch cases that may not otherwise be caught. A strategy for using them should have been in place months ago.
Why not use both ? Denmark does this and are managing it quite well. Or does hiqa think antigen testing is just snake oil.
Glad to see that HIQA intend to review advice around masks in a few weeks. With our overcrowded classrooms making distancing impossible, and the fact that this is an airborne virus, masks are a cheap, simple and effective mitigation strategy.
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/science/science-briefs/masking-science-sars-cov2.html
@Mac Muinteoir: Not for primary schools and rightly so.
@Franny Ando: not for the schools themselves, no. Just the kids.
@Mac Muinteoir: Not for use on primary school children if you want to be pedantic. They are not being recommended and won’t be getting children under 12 to wear them.
@Franny Ando: as things stand. But to be reviewed in a few weeks. Hopefully they will recommend that for all children that can manage them. Especially if other mitigation strategies are removed.
@Mac Muinteoir: Maybe re-read the article and listen to the news. It is not going to be reviewed. They are quite satisfied with the status quo. Masks will not be required for under 13′s.
@Franny Ando: “Given the evolving epidemiological situation it was considered prudent that the potential requirement for face masks in primary school-aged children should be kept under review. It was suggested that the evidence be reviewed six to eight weeks after the schools have fully reopened.” – p23 of the report. https://docs.google.com/gview?embedded=true&url=https://www.hiqa.ie/sites/default/files/2021-09/Advice-to-NPHET-Facemasks.pdf
@Mac Muinteoir: Yet they announced today they have decided against it.
@Franny Ando: no, the report was published today, so it’s being reported on today. They decided against recommending masks for primary school kids back in August, wrongly in my view, but said they would review that advice six to eight weeks after schools reopened. It’s OK to be wrong Franny, everyone makes mistakes.
@Mac Muinteoir: I’ll forgive you this time though its not your first time getting confused. When questioned today regarding masks for under 13′s they categorically stated the would not be mandating them.
@Franny Ando: imagine you want to go for a walk after lunch. It’s dry out now, but pretty cloudy. It looks like it might rain later. Should you a) decide that you don’t wouldn’t need an umbrella right now, but you might need one later, so you go and get it from the boot of the car before your wife takes it to go shopping, or b) see that it’s dry right now, and so dig a really deep hole in your garden, set your umbrella on fire and bury the ashes? If you chose option b), congrats, you’ve chosen the HIQA approach. Make a decision now, but review it later when you have more information.
Thanks Journal…this is good to nose…will saves money an alls.
What is HIQA involved in this for?
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