‘HOPES TO SAVE JOBS ARE SADLY GONE NOW’
THE Finance Secretary has “sadly” accepted that final hopes of saving the historic McVitie’s factory in Glasgow and 472 jobs have been dashed after the owners said they plan to proceed with the closure.
The Pladis Action Group, which was set up to try and prevent the closure of the factory operated by Turkey-owned and UK-based Pladis, had put forward an alternative plan for new premises that the company said “did not present a viable alternative”.
But Kate Forbes MSP, who chairs the action group, has now said: “The Pladis Action Group has worked tirelessly to develop and table credible, sensible counter proposals for consideration by Pladis to retain its presence in Scotland and retain the jobs of the skilled workforce. I very sadly accept that our attempts to persuade Pladis that there was a viable alternative to closure have not been successful.
“My thoughts are with the workforce and their families who are now facing a redundancy situation, and we will continue to support them throughout this next period. Pladis has always indicated a responsibility and willingness to discuss the potential legacy options for the site and we look forward to engaging constructively with them on what we can achieve to fulfil this ambition.”
Generations of families have worked at the Glasgow biscuit works which first opened in 1925 as part of the Macfarlane and Lang’s Victoria Biscuit Works. The McVitie’s presence in Scotland goes back to the original Scottish biscuit maker, McVitie and Price Ltd, which was established in 1830 in Edinburgh.
A report into rescuing the factory claimed that the £50 million cost of building a new biscuit premises would match the money lost to the Scottish economy each year if the axe falls on the current plant.
It is estimated the knock-on effect of closure would hit a further 400 jobs, with the total cost to the economy estimated at £49m per year.
The 472 staff have already been formally issued with redundancy notices. Pladis said it had “carefully reviewed” the alternative proposals put forward as part of the ongoing consultation with employees and their representatives.
Susan Aitken, leader of Glasgow City Council, said: “While we are very disappointed that this decision has been made by Pladis, with the impact this makes on the workforce, their families, and the wider economy, Glasgow City Council is committed to working with our partners to develop a legacy that provides infrastructure that attracts a new age of manufacturing to the East End of the city and provides jobs for the future.”
Pladis said the rationale for the proposed closure, first communicated to employees in May was to address “excess capacity across Pladis’ UK sites and protect the long-term sustainability of the business”.
Production from Tollcross will move to other Pladis sites within the UK and the factory is expected to cease operations in the second half of next year.
Pat McIlvogue, Unite industrial officer, said: “Unite has expressed huge disappointment that the tracks have finally run out on finding a satisfactory resolution.
“Unite believes there are opportunities for McVitie’s to leave a lasting legacy by providing resources that could involve the repurposing of the site, enabling the workers and the wider Tollcross community to have a future they can depend on. Unite is calling for McVitie’s to do the right thing before they switch off the lights at the Tollcross site.”
I am thinking of the workers and their families