Geith International, based in Slane, has confirmed it will seek to close in its Irish manufacturing operations with the loss of 79 jobs.

The company is currently proposing to move its manufacturing to China and Portugal, with 28 staff to be retained in non-manufacturing roles.

Management will begin immediate consultation with SIPTU and employee representatives, and if the proposal is confirmed, the redundancies will take place over a period of three months.

The Engineering company currently manufactures buckets for construction machinery at its plant in Grangeith.