Bleak news for Tullamore as job losses hit two industries in the one week

There was a further jobs blow for Tullamore this week, as plumbing and building suppliers stores Heatmerchants and Tubs and Tiles are to close, making seven people redundant. Staff at both stores were devastated, although not surprised, when the imminent closures were announced by parent company Wolseley on Wednesday. The building trade started to slow down last summer and January was an extremely quiet month for builders providers in Offaly. Approximately 180 people are being let go from Heatmerchants, Tubs and Tiles and Brooks Hanley stores nationwide. The company headquarters is situated in Athlone. However, the location of the other redundancies were not made public at the time of going to print. It"s the second bout of redundancies made by Wolseley in less than a year. In a statement released to the Offaly Independent, the company said that the job losses and store closures were part of the company"s drive to 'reduce costs in light of the unprecedented market conditions'. 'We will do all we can to ensure that those affected are treated with the utmost consideration at this difficult time,' said the statement. It went on to say that the decision was necessary to ensure that the company continued to be competitive and maintained the level of service offered to customers. The trade union SIPTU represents some of the Brooks Hanley and Tubs and Tiles staff nationwide. National Industrial Secretary Gerry McCormack said the union will meet with Wolseley soon to discuss the terms of the layoffs. Fine Gael Deputy Olwyn Enright described the job losses as 'yet more bleak news' but she warned that worse was to come, as the full effects of the 200 plus Boston Scientific job losses have yet to be felt in the town. 'This is terrible news for the staff and the whole county, and is the inevitable result of the collapse of the debt-fuelled housing boom. It is yet another announcement of major lob losses in a county which has been ravaged by job losses for decades. My sympathy goes out to all the staff affected,' said Deputy Enright. She"s calling on all State agencies to come together to ensure that the Wolseley staff get the full benefit of retraining and re-education. 'With job losses impacting on all areas of the economy, it is vital that staff being laid off can upskill in order to find alternative work,' she added. The pharmaceutical manufacturing industry was also hit by the economic downturn this week in Tullamore, as 21 temporary contract workers at the surgical devices plant Covidien in Sragh Industrail Estate were all let go. Covidien, formerly called Tyco Healthcare, has been in operation for over 21 years employing around 600 staff at their Tullamore base, manufacturing an extensive range of sterile medical devices used in operating theatres and hospitals around the world. However, there was one ray of light in the town this week, as sandwich franchise store Subway opened on Harbour Street, under proprietor Peter Mark Whelan. Local entrepreneur Peter Mark Wheeler, 26, left his job as an auctioneer and sold his own home last year in a bid to fulfil his ambition of owing his own business. Eight months on he has now opened the door to his first Subway store, the 100th one in Ireland. 'I"ve always wanted to be my own boss and to create jobs for local people. Opening a business during a recession is not something I am worried about,' said Mr Wheeler.