Employment « Thurles Information

Tipperary Live Register Figures For March 2016

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Changes to the Tipperary Live Register figures for March 2016, compared against the previous month February, continue to remain modest.

In the North of the county the ‘Live Register’ figures actually increased by 12 persons, while in the South of the county same figures decreased by 76 persons, showing an overall decrease to the Live Register for Co. Tipperary of 64 persons.

Live Register figures for the first quarter of 2016 show an overall decrease of 182 for the three month period January through to March inclusive, and a long way from the 1,432 jobs promised by Fine Gael, leading up six months prior to the recent 2016 General Election.

The figures shown above also do not take in to account the recent announcement of 125 job losses at the 30 year old SunPharma Ranbaxy Pharmaceuticals plant in Cashel. Same job losses were announced on the 31st of March, 2016 and are expected to come into effect at the end of April with the plant completely shutting down by the middle of May 2016.

SunPharma Ranbaxy Pharmaceuticals Cashel To Close

sun-Pharma Up to 125 jobs are to be lost in Co Tipperary, with the announced closure of the 30 years old SunPharma Ranbaxy Pharmaceuticals plant in Cashel.

The facility which manufactured and packaged generic drugs is expected to cease its operations at the end of April and will completely shut down by the middle of May 2016.

Concerns were growing for the future of the workforce at the plant, situated on the Cahir road, in late 2015, when staff were called to a meeting with management to discuss the long term future of the site.

Last year the world’s fifth largest drugs producer Sun Pharma completed a merger with fellow Indian company Ranbaxy, which included the Cashel plant. The company then announced it was seeking to re-organise its global operations with a view to optimising its costs and overall capacity. The company then stated its intention to scale down or divest itself of certain operations worldwide.

In a statement Sun Pharma said it decided to cease operations at its Cashel unit as part of an ongoing operations network review. The company said it will now move certain laboratory roles to other facilities within Sun Pharma’s global operations network.

The company state that they will engage with trade unions and employee representatives in the coming months and at the end of this period, if necessary, the company may proceed with redundancies.

Tipperary Pre-election Jobs – Real Or Imaginary?

The recent February CSO Live Register Figures for February 2016; published for Co. Tipperary last week, like the previous month, continue to remain dismal reading, despite the outgoing Fine Gael / Labour pre-election job announcements over the last 10 months, to date.

We are aware that the ‘Live Register’ is not designed to measure unemployment solely, but figures provided here are most certainly a strong indication of Urban and Rural employment trends. See the figures shown hereunder or check for yourselves, by clicking on the highlighted following link:- http://www.cso.ie/px/pxeirestat/statire/SelectVarVal/Define.asp?Maintable=LRM07&PLanguage=0 taking care to use the search criteria; All Ages; Both Sexes; Welfare Office.

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In all some 1432 jobs were publicly announced by the outgoing Fine Gael / Labour Coalition for the County of Tipperary, prior to the recent General Election held on February 27th, 2016 last.

These announcements came in the wake of a litany of job losses, 200 at Intellicom, 400 at Lisheen Mine, 50 at Grants and more at C & C, Gleeson’s, Abbott and Boston Scientific etc. Over the past five years Co. Tipperary has been completely unobserved by our current ‘caretaker government’, with 90% of all job creation announcements going to the east coast and the larger cities like Cork, Limerick and Galway.

This now unwanted coalition Government’s more recent regional jobs strategy further added insult to injury; in prioritising investment in named towns, e.g. Sligo, Tralee, Castlebar, Galway, Dundalk, Limerick, Athlone, Carlow and Waterford. Tipperary once again finding itself totally neglected with not one single Tipperary Town listed, for the building of any even one advance manufacturing base or office facility.

Strangely one, if not the only few advance office spaces that was available to attract job creation; to be found in the Tipperary Technology Park on Racecourse Road Thurles; same was quietly and surreptitiously hived off, before being announced as a replacement for the already existing Department of Social Protection’s new Intreo Centre.

Were the various 1432 jobs announced and loudly hailed by the outgoing Fine Gael / Labour Coalition in Tipperary over the past 10 months, purely a pre-election vote catching stunt? Tipperary people have very long memories, as two Fine Gael TD’s will most surely attest, following their complete annihilation in last February’s General Election.

Thurles Social Protection Offices Move To Technology Park

The Department of Social Protection’s new Intreo Centre will open to customers in the Thurles area from Monday of next week.

Intreo is a new service from the Department of Social Protection, offering a single point of contact for all employment and income supports. This new service is designed to provide a more streamlined approach, offering practical, tailored employment services and supports for both Jobseekers and Employers alike.

Intreo

Now based in the Tipperary Technology Park, with an address on the R498 at Racecourse Road in Thurles, this upgraded centre will open next Monday and operate from 9:15am to 5:00pm from Monday to Friday each week.

This Thurles Intreo Centre will replace the Department of Social Welfare’s former local offices based in Stradavoher, Thurles; the Community Welfare Services previously based in St. Mary’s Health Centre and the Employment Services Office, formerly located at Friar Street, in the town.

The Department of Social Protection maintain that this new Intreo service in Thurles will now significantly improve customer service and reduce waiting times for jobseeker payments. Sadly this service also offers customers personalised advice and expertise for those wishing to work in any other EEA countries without a work permit, both as a salaried employee or a self-employed individual.

Note: The contact number in operation for this new Intreo Centre on the Nenagh Road, will be Tel: 0504-67100.

Thurles Enterprise Town Initiative Updated

Tipperary senior hurling centre-forward Noel McGrath to start ‘Fun Family Walk’ in aid of Suir Haven from St Patrick’s College during the ‘Thurles Enterprise Town’ event on Sat 12th March 2016.

Registrations continue to pour in this week for the ‘Thurles Enterprise Town‘ initiative which runs in St Patrick’s College on Friday & Saturday 11th & 12th of March with Schools, Colleges, Clubs, Organisations and Societies joining together with businesses of all kinds, to help make the event one of the biggest in the country.

Tipperary Senior Hurler Noel McGrath

Facilitated by Bank of Ireland, Liberty Square; Thurles will be the 1st Enterprise Town in Co. Tipperary and plans are now well advanced to ensure that the venue will be jam-packed with entrants and visitors of all ages, as well as some high profile guest speakers, debaters and interviewers.

The event kicks off on Friday evening 11th March at 4:00pm with the Schools and Colleges of the town having a major input alongside numerous Business enterprises. Young and old will mix and mingle throughout the college – a centre of education for centuries – and the hope is that businesses will learn from each other and derive inspiration from the interaction.

It will be a unique opportunity to showcase the many businesses, industries, commercial entities, agri, food, motor, and many more sectors. A celebrity ‘Key Speaker’ will attend the event and there will also be a panel of successful Tipperary Business people, details of which will be announced next week.

The event on Saturday 12th will be built around a whole series of activities starting with a ‘Fun Family Walk’ from St Patrick’s College at 10:00am. Tipperary senior hurler Noel McGrath has kindly agreed to be involved and will blow the starting whistle for the scheduled walk to kick start the day ahead. All can register for this walk on Sat morning (€10 per family) and full proceeds will go to Suir Haven. The ‘Official Opening’ will take place at 11:00am sharp allowing those attending to enjoy the many stands featuring Agri Businesses, Clubs/Organisations, Kiddy Activities and multiple opportunities for everyone involved to network, sell, recruit etc. And yes, it is all free of charge.

Note: There are no entry fees; no enrolment fees; no hidden costs; but major promotional benefits to be gained by generating interest amongst visitors and exhibitors.

Aoife Hearne (Dietician of ‘Operation Transformation’ fame) will be on hand to deliver a presentation on ‘Nutrition’, which will be interactive and of major interest to many. It promises to be a huge event in our Cathedral Town and the organising committee, led by Bank of Ireland Branch Manager Trish Ryan, are busy putting the arrangements in place at the present time.

Sunday will also see activity with the Thurles and District Vintage Club organising a ‘Tractor Run’, as part of this ‘Thurles Enterprise Town’ week-end, with all funds going towards North Tipperary Hospice.

There will be a Vintage Craft and Food Fair in the Anner Hotel also on Sunday from 12:00-6:00pm which will be incorporated under the Enterprise Town initiative umbrella – this also promises to be a huge attraction for exhibitors and visitors and will further help to enhance the week-end programme of events greatly.

So, if you have a ‘Business’; are involved in a ‘Club’; ‘Voluntary Organisation’; if you run a ‘Small Firm’, or produce your own ‘Food’; make sure you are registered to have a stand at this event. It maybe just the move you need to take your business to the next level, or to recruit much needed new blood for your clubhouse.

Registration forms are still available from Bank of Ireland in Liberty Square. So do make sure you are a part of this unique event in St Patrick’s College – the perfect setting for space, comfort, parking, facilities and an assured welcome to all.