Talks are to begin at the Arrabawn Tipperary Co-Operative between management and staff about cost savings including job losses.
It is understood there may be upwards of 30 job losses in Tipperary town with no clear indication yet as regards which areas management are targeting for savings. During the merger talks it was apparent that there would be some duplication of services in areas such as farm advisory or laboratory services that might be reduced in the new entity. Last Friday the merger of two neighbouring co-ops to form Arrabawn Tipperary was completed and a spokesperson for the new Co-Op says “the merger was about securing a competitive future for the merged business and its members.”
A Co-Op representative says that “the initial focus is on setting out a growth strategy for the business that will explore new market opportunities as well as achieve necessary efficiencies adding that management will begin a consultation process on this with employees and their union representatives over the coming days.”
It is understood that management will first seek voluntary redundancies.
