Not just any jobs catastrophe... a Marks & Spencer jobs catastrophe
MSP demands retail giant helps halt plant closure
An MSP yesterday demanded retail giant Marks & Spencer helps halt the proposed closure of a fish processing plant that is threatening to devastate a town.
Owners of the Pinneys factory in Annan have said it will close with the loss of at least 450 jobs.
The redundancies in the town of 8500 are the equivalent of 50,000 jobs being lost in Glasgow and south of Scotland MSP Joan McAlpine has written to M&S – Pinneys’ only customer – calling for them to intervene.
She said: “They do not own Pinneys but they can decide its future. There must be another way and they must help us find it.”
Politicians yesterday called on Marks & Spencer to help halt closure of a fish processing plant threatening to devastate a town in the south of Scotland.
Joan McAlpine, one of the region’s MSPs, accused the retail giant of abandoning the people of Annan after one of their suppliers, Young’ s Seafood, axed the factory, threatening the jobs of up to one in 10 of the town’ s workforce.
She accused M&S of squeezing suppliers on terms and said the closure of the Pinneys factory comes despite a £ 600,000 upgrade demanded by the company.
The SNP MSP said: “They should give them a fairer deal. M& Sis huge, one of the biggest food producers in the UK, and I’m sure they could review contracts and find options that will save these jobs.”
In a letter to the supermarket’s chairman Archie Norman, she added: “This is all happening despite £ 600,000 being invested in Pinneys by Young’s to ensure that it met M&S standards.
“Many of the Young’s workers facing redundancy are from the same family and have spent decades producing top quality seafood for your customers. You have discarded them like spent packaging.”
Products made for M&S at Pinneys include the range of smoked salmon, shellfish and party snacks, as well as ready meals.
Young’s said the factory, which opened in 1976 and became smoked salmon supplier to the Queen, had been earmarked for closure as production was “no longer financially sustainable”.
The company last night confirmed that, as well as the 427 people permanently employed at the factory, up to another 150 agency roles are recruited at peak seasonal periods.
This means almost 600 jobs are being axed in a town with a workingage population of just 5247. If losses of the same scale were to take place in Glasgow, it would leave 48,000 people in the city out of work.
Emily Davies, 17, whose stepfather works at Pinneys, has set up a petition calling for the factory to be saved. It already has 3644 signatures.
She said: “Everyone has family who work in the factory – mothers, fathers and children. Now people are going to fall into the poverty trap and that is tragic.
“My step-dad is now 50 and this is the only thing he and his friends have ever known.”
Labour MSP Colin Smyth said the impact of the job losses would be devastating for the workers and local businesses. He said: “This is like Glasgow losing 50,000 jobs overnight. It is a disaster for Annan and the south of Scotland.
“There are fundamental weaknesses in the Dumfries and Galloway economy that have been neglected for far too long and they are going to come back to haunt us.”
The Scottish Government has announced that a multi- partner group will be set up to explore all options to safeguard the future of the factory.
Young’s are recruiting for 50 jobs in the Ann an scam pi factory, where 110 people are currently employed, to meet increased demand. There is speculation it could be snapped up by the Japanese Mitsubishi Corporation.
The company’s chief executive Bill Showalter said the planned closure of Pinneys did “not reflect on committed and skilled teams”.
He added: “We have a long history of seafood production in Annan and whatever the outcome of the consultation we will continue to be a part of the community, given our other factory site within the town.”
As it confirmed the intention to close Pin neys,Young’ s announced the creation of up to 200 salmon processing jobs in Grimsby after the takeover of M&S contracts formerly held by Five Star Fish.
It is thought 390 jobs will be lost in the Lincolnshire town because of Five Star’s demise.
An M& S spokesperson said: “M&S is committed to paying a fair price to our suppliers and we are working closely with them, as part of our transformation programme, to create a faster supply base and improve value and availability for our customers.”
I just feel sick. You are talking about our whole family and I don’t know how we will get over it
– Gary Thomson
Between them, Janice Thomson and her husband Gary have worked at Pinneys for 35 years.
These last few sleepless nights have felt just as long.
The couple work at the fish processing plant, as does their son-in-law. Janice’s mum Jessie Lupton, 84, worked there in the 1970s.
Gary, 41, has worked at the factory for 19 years but because he changed his role last year to a contract with a privately-run cleaning firm at Pinneys, he will get no redundancy pay. “I just feel sick,” he said. “This is a massive blow to our whole family. We have no idea how we are going to get over it.
“We were told at Christmas our jobs would be safe and in January the factory passed an inspection by auditors with flying colours.
“There was no warning of this and a lot of people only found out about it on Facebook.
“We got letters during the week announcing that the company had just won three big contracts with Marks and Spencer but in the same breath we were told Annan would be closing.”
Janice, 52, said the job losses would throw their lives into turmoil.
“How we are going to pay our mortgage and feed our kids is a huge worry,” she said. “But on top of that, for our family the whole world has been centred around Pinneys.
“Everything down to our childcare arrangements which we work between us all revolve around the shifts at the factory.”
Gary added: “Like a lot of employees, we feel angry, let down and cheated. I feel we are not just being abandoned, but crucified – and now our whole future is up in the air.”
Meanwhile, a quarter of a mile away in the town, business owners and operators were bracing for tough times ahead.
Cafes, hairdressing salons, taxi firms, pubs, clubs, florist shops – they all expect to be hurting when the reality sets in that one in seven of the town’s workforce will soon be thrown on the scrapheap.
Joan Carter only opened her main street florist shop, Flowers by Joan, nine weeks ago.
The 47-year-old moved to Annan from Cumbria in 2015 and she was left shell-shocked by news of impending job losses.
“I am stunned,” she said. “Pinneys is such a big part of the community.
“It is not long since I started my business here and clearly this is a big worry. Flowers tend to be seen as luxury items and will be one of the first things people cut back on buying.
“I get a lot of custom from the workers at Pinneys and it is a very worrying time not just for me but for the whole town. I really feel for the workers and their families.”
Just across the street at The Commercial Inn, landlord John Steel, 60, is in a similar situation.
He took over the pub just two years ago and up until now has enjoyed brisk trade from the nearby fish factory.
“This is a devastating blow to the town,” he said. “It will affect just about every local business.
“We are one of the nearest bars to Pinneys and a lot of my regulars and friends work there.
“I feel sorry for them and their families. For me, the effects of the jobs going is hard to quantify just now but it won’t be good.
“If the worst happens and Pinneys closes, there will be challenging times ahead. The whole town will need to pull together and see what we can do.”
Annan – with a population of 8500 – is still recovering from another former big employer, Chapelcross nuclear plant, being decommissioned in 2004.
Then three years ago, boiler manufacturer Cochran UK – which employed more than 200 people – confirmed it would be cutting positions at its Newbie plant.
Andrew Kevans, 51, owner of the Tech Care garage, is concerned because he gets “very decent” trade from Pinneys employees dropping in to have their cars repaired and serviced.
“This will definitely affect us because we get a lot of work from the factory,” he said.
“I get a lot of business by word of mouth, from workers recommending us to friends and family.
“I have been constantly investing in the future of my business so this is a big worry.”
Waiting to pick up passengers outside Tesco, taxi driver Lindsay Brockie, 64, fears people will start walking or taking the bus instead of calling a cab. “I ferry a lot of folk to and from the factory and also take them to do their shopping. It is a concern”.
The Solway café and chip shop in High Street has been in the hands of the same family for 100 years and is still a staunch favourite with residents. Owner Giovanni Toni, 62, has been there for four decades and has weathered a number of economic storms the town has faced.
But the latest job losses will be a bridge too far for the area, he fears. “Down the years I’ve seen it all come and go, with jobs going at Chapelcross and Cochrans,” he said with a sigh.
“But this has come as a real shock. I just didn’t expect it.
“It will have a significant impact as I get a lot of factory workers in at tea-time, some of them several times a week.
“Everyone seems to be powerless. There is only so much we can take.”