Delegation Will Demand Answers Over Controversial Closure – Fishupdate.com
Delegation Will Demand Answers Over Controversial Closure Fish Farming Today Published: 05 June, 2003
A DELEGATION from the Western Isles will travel to Edinburgh next week to press the top management of fish farming giant Marine Harvest for an explanation for the closure of a salmon processing factory in Stornoway which will wipe out 82 jobs.
It has come to light that Marine Harvest has been negotiating with Highland Council officials and agencies in Mallaig for a year, about opening a salmon slaughtering facility. The move has shocked councillors and development agency officials in the Western Isles.
Western Isles MSP Alasdair Morrison who organised the meeting, said: Marine Harvests managing director Graeme Dear has agreed to meet us along with other members of their top management. We will make plain to them the sense of betrayal felt by the workforce, some of whom have given 14 years of loyal service to the company. We will also want to know why they did not seek help and advice from the Council or Western Isles Enterprise.
The delegation will also try to iron out problems with redundancy payments for some of the workers. We want to find out from Marine Harvest if they have any thought for the future of the workforce. We would like to see the factory being used by another operator if that is possible and the workforce to be retained, said Alasdair Morrison.