Dozens of Limerick workers to be 'impacted' as medical devices company confirms job cuts

ALMOST 30 Limerick employees could be impacted as a Limerick-based medical device maker is set to cut 500 jobs worldwide.

Cook Medical has announced it plans to cut 500 jobs, or about 4% of their global workforce. Almost 30 employees in Limerick could be impacted.

That’s according to a spokesperson for the company, who told Limerick Live that “27 employees in Limerick are potentially impacted” by the decision, which has been described as a “difficult step.”

Employees of Cook Medical received a memo stating that the company made a “difficult decision” in support of their strategy.

Popular Limerick play centre to close after 20 years of business

Cook Group and Cook Medical president, Pete Yonkman, noted: “It is important to note that no hourly manufacturing employees or hourly employees in distribution centers will be impacted. Demand for our products continues to grow, and we want to ensure we have the capacity to meet it,”

Mr Yonkman added that the decision is the most difficult one they’ve had to make in support of their strategy.

“We will be implementing a reduction in the size of our global workforce by approximately 500 people or about 4% of our total employees. This is a very hard choice, and not one that we have made without significant thought. Steps like this are especially difficult because they impact the lives of people we have come to respect as colleagues and friends. But it is a decision that we are convinced is critical to achieving our long-term success and our vision for who we want to be as an organization.”