Factory closure has knock-on effect
Area is going through a hard time
An MSP has said the wider impact of the 2 Sisters’ factory closure and loss of 450 jobs, “has the potential to be disastrous for the local economy.”
Glasgow list representative James Kelly insists it’s essential that local businesses consider the impact the closure – after decades in the town – is having on the plant’s former workforce.
“This is a very hard time for the area,” said Mr Kelly. “Working with Ged Killen MP, I am aware there are some local employers who have been approached for help, however no concrete pledges have been made.
“There is still the need for direct involvement from the Scottish Government to secure the best chances for the workforce.
“The wider impact of this closure has the potential to be disastrous for the local economy.”
When the owners of the chicken production plant informed workers it could no longer sustain the “heavily loss-making operation,” they said the decision had not been taken lightly.
Then, 2 Sisters found itself at the centre of a row when it issued a shock ultimatum to its Cambuslang workers that the only way to keep their jobs was to be redeployed to Norwich - 380 miles away.
Trade union Unite claimed the workforce has been treated in a “shabby way” and local MP Ged Killen described the news as a “devastating blow”.
The company said attempts to reverse the downward trend had failed and claimed it had not seen “any credible proposal” to closing the factory, which finally shut last week.
It concluded: “We will continue to support all our colleagues with all the redeployment options available to us, whether inside or outside the business.”
2 Sisters is one of the UK’s largest chicken suppliers but also provides biscuits, ready meals and frozen pizzas.
Following the closure announcement, an action group was set up involving Scottish Government officials, South Lanarkshire Council officers and employment agencies to help workers into alternative employment.
“The final closure of the 2 Sisters facility is a sad day for Cambuslang,” said Rutherglen MSP Clare Haughey.
“It is a pity that, despite the efforts and offers of support from the Scottish Government and Scottish Enterprise, the company ultimately chose not to invest in the plant and the skilled workforce.”
2 Sisters failed to respond to our request for comment.