New jobs and old jobs

September 14th, 2009

After all the huffing and puffing, our worst fears were confirmed as Scotland’s World Cup hopes were finally brought to an end at Hampden.

While it’s a huge disappointment, a mere football result is soon put into perspective when compared to the devastation being dealt with in Kilmarnock.

As a community who knows all too well the consequences of losing a major employer, I am sure we all empathise with those 700 workers facing redundancy at the Diageo bottling plant.

The disastrous decision also brought politicians back down to earth who believed they could challenge hard-nosed business decisions by multi-nationals with well-meaning rhetoric.

On the local job front, we received mixed news ourselves with announcements from two of our biggest employers.

First, T-Mobile revealed they were in talks to merge with Orange, something which has done little yet to end the uncertainty faced by workers at their centre in Greenock.

I prefer to remain optimistic that the skills and commitment of the local workforce will be recognised and believe they could form an integral part of this major new player in the telecommunications market.

There was better news for the RBS mortgage centre though with the relocation of 160 jobs in Greenock.

I had visited the site over the summer to discuss employees’ fears about their future with management and given the crisis in the banking industry, we cannot underestimate the significance of this positive decision to consolidate their base in Inverclyde.

I was also pleased for the 240 young people who will get their first taste of employment through jobs created at Inverclyde Council by the UK government’s Future Jobs Fund, empasising the good work that can be done.

There should be no greater issue at this time of recession than sustaining and creating jobs in our communities.

For that to happen, we need politicians across all parties and levels of government to engage with business leaders and trade unions before the crisis hits.

Too many times, we have seen the barn door shut long after the horse has bolted.