Morgan calls on Government to ensure safety of jobs in vulnerable sectors
In response to the news that a further 178 manufacturing jobs are to go in the Shannon region Sinn Fein TD Arthur Morgan has today reiterated Sinn Fein's demand that government ensure workers in vulnerable manufacturing and construction sectors are not left on the employment scrap heap.
Deputy Morgan said:
"It has just emerged that 178 jobs are to go from the Shannon region in Tyco Electronics. This is a further blow to the region following the Aer Lingus debacle and the 242 jobs that were lost last month in Analog Devices and Mohawk Europa.
"Sinn Fein has continually raised the issue of the declining manufacturing sector with the Government and furthermore has called on them to ensure that there is a strategic plan to transform the sector while retraining workers in conjunction with relevant state agencies.
"Only today the ESRI has predicted 25,000 job losses in the construction sector. It is imperative that the Government implement targeted training strategies and life-long learning education programmes to ensure workers are given the skills they need to gain employment in sectors other than the declining construction and manufacturing industries.
"Government needs to ensure that the current economic partition between the east and west of the country does not further deepen. The western corridor region is currently being attacked from all sides by government policies.
"Shannon is in danger of becoming a hub of unemployment in this state. Government inaction should no longer be accepted by the people of the region." CRÍOCH