142 JOBS ARE to be cut by the medical devices manufacturing firm Stryker at a facility in Co Cork.

Workers at one of the company’s two plants in Carrigtwohill are being told of the job losses at an employee meeting this afternoon.

The job losses were confirmed by junior minister for research Sean Sherlock, who described the development as “very bad news” for the area, but welcomed Stryker’s efforts to retain its significant presence in the area.

“The priority now must be to get these people 142 back into workplace,” Sherlock said, welcoming indications that the firm was to create 60 new jobs in the next four years.

Stryker manufacturers orthopaedic implants and instruments, and employs a total of 2,000 in Ireland between two plants at Carrigtwohill and another in Limerick.

That total also includes the number of staff working at a Boston Scientific plant in Cork which was acquired by Stryker earlier this year.

Shares in Stryker were down by slightly less than 0.5 per cent on the New York Stock Exchange in early trading.