Braun Oral-B Ireland has today announced the loss of 97 permanent jobs and 60 temporary posts at its Carlow factory.
The jobs, in the dental floss manufacturing plant, are being relocated to their sister plant in Mexico and to third party contractors.
The transfer of the jobs is due to started later this year and will be completed by September 2007. The rest of the workforce, numbering around 300, will remain in Carlow.
A spokeswoman for the company said: "Braun Oral-B Ireland Limited, has informed its employees of the outcome of a production sourcing study for its Dental Floss business currently manufactured at Carlow.
Sitpu described the job losses as a "worrying continuation of the trend in transferring long established Irish jobs to low wage economies". The union said the redundancies will be effected on a voluntary basis across the board within the plant. Redundancy terms were agreed at a meeting today.
Fine Gael Senator Fergal Browne has described the jobs loss as a deeply regrettable and expressed his sympathy to the workers who will lose their jobs.
He said that the development is "disturbing and should lead to immediate action on the part of the Government. It is vital that the 300 remaining jobs in Braun, one of the principal employers in Carlow, are safeguarded and the future of the factory in the town is secured".
Green Party deputy leader, Cllr Mary White, expressed her sympathies with the workers at the plant.
"Many of the 157 jobs lost belonged to young women - women who have made tremendous sacrifices in working to pay their mortgages, paying for crèches and playing their part to support their families. These job losses have happened under the watch of the Fianna Fail/PD Government," she said.
"While the global situation in relation to manufacturing is well known, this Government should have seen the emerging trends and established a local task force to protect existing jobs and secure replacement jobs to ensure the good name of Carlow and to protect the job base in our County," she added.
"Regrettably, 97 permanent jobs will be affected by the transfer of the Dental Floss business to Mexico. We will be working with the affected employees to help minimise the impact of this announcement."
Labour Party TD for Kildare South, Jack Wall, has expressed his sympathy with the employees who will lose their jobs.
Mr Wall said this was merely the latest series of workforce cutbacks by the company which threatens its status as the major employer in the area.
"At one time almost 1500 people were employed there, but following today's announcement the workforce will have fallen to barely a third of that figure," he commented. "Yet again Irish jobs are being lost to cheaper labour markets in Latin America and Eastern Europe. This is but the latest example of the emasculation of the Irish manufacturing sector."