Looks like the luck of the Irish is about to run out-- at least, if you happen to be a factory worker assembling iMacs in Apple's plant in Cork. Rumors have been flying for days that Apple plans to cut something like five or six hundred jobs there, due to production plan changes that could drastically alter the plant's personnel needs. The Cork plant has recently been running full tilt, cranking out PowerBooks, new G3 minitowers, and iMacs-- especially iMacs. But now it sounds like Apple is planning to move iMac production elsewhere, and workers in Cork may feel the pinch. A Reuters story has more details.

Reportedly, Apple plans to outsource the production of iMacs to a third party company: LG Electronics, a manufacturer based in South Korea. The speculation is that LG Electronics plans to build a new plant in Wales and that iMacs will be produced there instead of in Cork, although it's unclear just when this "planned" facility will be open for business. In fact, very little about this whole business is clear-- and that's making a lot of people in Cork pretty upset. The Irish Times shows that anti-Apple sentiment in Cork is growing, not so much because of the likely loss of local jobs, but rather because Apple still isn't telling anyone that they'll soon be pink-slipped. Apple, as usual, is declining to comment, while a local government agency is claiming that the imminent job loss is all but official. From a PR standpoint, it's a big black eye.

This isn't the first time that Apple's outsourcing of production has led to a loss of jobs in Cork; last July, 150 jobs were cut when Apple outsourced their printed circuit board production. That was offset by the news that the Cork plant would be making iMacs for all of Europe, but apparently that hasn't lasted. We certainly see Apple's benefit in lowering costs by outsourcing production, but we wish they'd at least tell the Cork workers where they stand; after struggling through a rough comeback, it seems unwise to foment another loss of employee morale. It's tough enough to lose one's job, but to hear about it first from the press is a nasty blow.