Abbey Job Losses

The Stage reports that there are likely to be job losses at the Abbey theatre in Dublin, as negotiations on redundancies get underway.

The spokeswoman was keen to stress that the job cuts do not signal a new financial emergency at the Abbey.

"We are not in crisis – the action we are taking is to avoid being forced into a crisis next year or the year after," she said. "We are simply taking precautions in what is a difficult economic climate for everyone."

Abbey director Fiach MacConghail echoed that sentiment in a message to staff, in which he praised the "highly skilled workforce" and called the proposed job cuts regrettable.

"The theatre itself is now a well managed organisation and we are not currently in deficit," he said. "However, the times we are living in compel us to take action sooner rather than later to avoid an otherwise inevitable financial crisis in the coming years."