MSP rounds on Ewing over jobs loss ‘ delight’
Mcmahon warns of complacency on redundancies
A SCOTTISH Government minister came under fire from a political rival when he expressed “delight” that 40 job losses were achieved through voluntary redundancy.
Fergus Ewing, the SNP Minister for Energy, Enterprise and Tourism, wrote to Labour MSP Siobhan McMahon about the job losses at the Philips Lighting factory in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire.
In his letter, Mr Ewing said he was “delighted” that Philips has “been able to achieve the reduction in its headcount without compulsory redundancies.”
Following the letter, Ms McMahon, the member for Central Scotland, urged Holyrood not to become complacent over job losses.
Philips, which employs 300 people at its Lighting and Luminaries factory in Hamilton, announced last June that it had made the “difficult but necessary decision” to transfer part of its production to Poland, in order to remain “globally competitive”.
Miss McMahon said: “Whilst I welcome Mr Ewing’s commitment to securing the continued presence of Philips in Hamilton, ‘delight’ is a somewhat inappro- priate emotion for the loss of 40 jobs.
“That it could have been worse is no cause for celebration. The loss of 40 jobs is still a serious blow.
“I understand that well over half of those who have lost their jobs will have to find alternative employment.
“In a depressed job market, this is no easy task.”
She also raised concerns about the role of Pace ( Partnership Action for Continuing Employment) in supporting employees to find new jobs.
She said:“It is vital that we avoid complacency, and that organisations such as Pace do all they can to support the individuals concerned.
“Giving general advice on CVs and letter writing is not enough.”
She added: “Pace, like any organisation, it must be j udged on results.”