Workers at the 11-year-old Clara Candy sweets manufacturing plant in Finglas, Dublin, will assemble at their workplace on Monday to hear redundancy details from the receiver, Mr Billy O'Riordan, of Coopers & Lybrand. The 105 employees were told by courier last Monday that "on economic grounds" their employment at the McKee Avenue company could no longer be considered.

Yesterday, one family which had three members working in the premises said that there had been no indication from management on December 23rd that workers were finishing their last shift.

"The feeling was going around but nobody came down from upstairs to tell anyone," said Mr Paddy Glynn, who has worked at the plant for eight years.

Clara Candy has been in the premises for 11 years, taking over from the British sweets manufacturer, Cleeve's.

Mr Glynn's sister, Maria, said that order books were full in the past year and many workers had worked extra shifts including Sundays.

The receiver was called in after one of the company's creditors, Banque Nationale de Paris (BNP) moved to secure its loans. Clara Candy is believed to have owed up to £2 million to BNP and Bank of Ireland.