Iralco workers vote on plan to save jobs

The workforce at one of the county"s largest employers is in the process of voting on a survival plan presented to them on Sunday morning last which, it is understood, would save the majority of the 420 jobs there - a reported 320 jobs.Workers at the Iralco manufacturing factory in Collinstown attended a two-hour briefing at The Downs GAA Centre to consult with the joint liquidators of Iralco, John McStay and Tom Rogers, and representatives from Galway company, C & F Tooling, which has proposed to buy Iralco.Between shifts on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, the Iralco workforce are voting on the proposals set down in the survival plan, with a result expected on Thursday. The workers were given a full explanation of the proposals after Sunday"s meeting.In a statement issued after the meeting, the parties involved said that the gathering followed on from a requirement that discussions with the workforce needed to be concluded 'without delay'.'The workforce were presented with a survival plan for Iralco, and the retention of the majority of jobs at the manufacturing plant in Collinstown,' the statement read.'The workforce were informed of the necessary changes that need to be made internally in order for the company to survive and develop into the future. Organisational survival is the critically important aspect in all of this for the workforce, their families and customers.'Joe Hanley, an advisor to Iralco, explained what happened at Sunday"s meeting, which was closed to the public.'The liquidator, John McStay of McStay and