140 years of Dulux history ends on Leeside

The decision to close the Dulux paint manufacturing site in Cork city, bringing the loss of 45 jobs, has been described as a “hammer blow” to the northside.

The closure will bring an end to over 140 years of paint manufacturing at the site on the Commons Road.

The decision was made by Dutch parent company AkzoNobel who have confirmed plans to close the site by the end of the year. It is understood that the company will move its Cork operations to the UK.

In the wake of the news, People Before Profit-Solidarity councillor Brian McCarthy has demanded that the parent company open its books to reveal where the profits have gone.

The Cork City North West councillor said that AkzoNobel is a profitable company and claimed that €181m was its “net income attributable to shareholders” for the first quarter of 2024.

Cllr McCarthy said: “There has been 140 years of manufacturing at this site. Many of the workers have worked here for more than 30 years. Closure would represent a hammer blow to the northside.

“I think the parent company should be required to open its books for inspection by worker representatives. This looks like a profitable company, and we need to see where the profits have gone,” he added.

In a statement, AkzoNobel said that Ireland remains a hugely important market to the company with plans to continue non-manufacturing operations in Dublin.

“The Cork site would require significant renovations, upgrades and investment in order to futureproof the plant in the short-term, but longer term a new plant would have to be developed. The company’s intention to close the plant would result in 45 redundancies in Ireland,” said Seamus O’Donoghue, Managing Director, Dulux Paints Ireland.

“We understand the impact this will have on our colleagues and know that the coming weeks will be really difficult for everyone in our Cork plant, many of whom have worked at the site for more than 30 years,” he added.