The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Michelin Dundee: ‘Closing of one door and the opening of another’
On the first anniversary of the Michelin closure announcement in Dundee, Michael Alexander discovers optimism is high for the future of the Baldovie site
A year ago today, heartbroken Michelin Dundee workers were left in tears at the factory gate after a 10-minute briefing confirmed they would be losing their jobs by 2020.
The French company confirmed its Baldovie factory was closing because of a decline in the market for its tyres, despite £60 million of investment in recent years.
The formal announcement to staff came 46 years to the day since the first tyre rolled off the Baldovie production line, with the planned closure described as a devastating blow for the city.
But when Marc Jackson, senior shop steward for trade union Unite, thinks back to the events of a year ago, he says the “knife was put through our hearts” a year ago last night when news leaked out via social media.
Mr Jackson, 51 – who will have worked at Michelin Dundee for 32 years when tyre production ceases at the end of June next year – said staff were understandably shocked and upset when news was confirmed.
However, with Unite representing 98% of the 846-strong workforce at the time of the closure announcement, he is full of praise for the way Michelin has handled the redundancy process and how everyone – including Dundee City Council and the Scottish Government – has pulled together to try and find a viable, attractive, alternative future for the site.
While there’s still much work to be done, he thinks good progress is being made.
“I think Michelin has done the right thing by the people on the site,” he said.
“We said in the beginning Michelin has a social responsibility to every single person on that site and I think we are matching it. I’m proud of how Michelin has treated us. I think Michelin have been very good with us compared with other companies. The money they have spent trying to get people new jobs has been great.
“However, I am also very proud of my members and the people on the Dundee site. There’s a lot of people going through a lot of difficulties here coming to terms with the fact Michelin is shutting and they won’t earn that money.”
Mr Jackson said Unite backed efforts to re-purpose the 32-hectare site and attract good, well-paying jobs and cutting-edge technologies to Dundee.
Scottish Enterprise and Dundee City
Council, along with Michelin, have entered into a partnership to turn the site into a world-class innovation hub in a bid to replace the 850 jobs lost with the end of tyre production.
They are equal partners in the newly formed Michelin-Scotland Innovation Parc (Msip) that aims to focus on sustainable transport and low carbon energy.
Michelin Dundee general manager John Reid, who was appointed chief executive of Msip in July, said the events of a year ago were a “very traumatic experience” for everyone, including himself, who has worked at the plant since 1992.
The priority since, however, has been supporting employees and their families with 95% of the workforce having engaged in reskilling and employability programmes.
Of the 846 staff on the books in January, 414 have already found their next jobs with 358 having already left the site – a trend quicker than anticipated.
“I think the calibre of the workforce in the first instance and the experience that they’ve all gained through working in a challenging blue chip, high volume, lean manufacturing environment has made them very marketable to other organisations,” he said.
“What’s been crucial right from the start of the process is that Michelin agreed to make it a ‘social ramp-down’ over 20-months so as and when people secure new jobs, they can leave when it suits them rather than the business.”
Mr Reid said that as CEO of Msip, they had a 10-year plan to put 850 jobs back into the site through a mixture of advance manufacturing, innovation, skills, and new initiatives.
Around 20 “real prospects” were on the list with around “half a dozen priority projects” being worked on in detail.
Undoubtedly it will be a “massive emotional moment” when the doors finally close next year.
But Mr Reid added: “It’s the closing of one door and the opening of another really. The challenge for us on the site is to try and help our people understand it’s not the end of the world.”
Steve Dunlop, chief executive of Scottish Enterprise, said: “We’re optimistic that Msip will further accelerate Scotland’s low carbon journey.”