Michelin, Gallaghers etc - lots of bad economic news!

tara747

So, 860 well-paid, skilled manufacturing jobs to go at Michelin in Ballymena, on top of the 800 at JTI Gallaghers. The knock-on effects will be huge. All the local people doing ancillary jobs that depend on those factories will suffer - cafes, sandwich shops, petrol stations, pubs - you name it.

Then there are the tens of thousands of public sector redundancies which have already started, with a recruitment freeze as well. So no jobs for school leavers and graduates in many public sector fields.

Water charges on the horizon too. Tax credit cuts. Etc.

And the Tories speak of 'economic recovery'! :eek:

qwert_yuiop

Ballymena also lost pattons.

stephenni1971

tara747 wrote: »

So, 860 well-paid, skilled manufacturing jobs to go at Michelin in Ballymena, on top of the 800 at JTI Gallaghers. The knock-on effects will be huge. All the local people doing ancillary jobs that depend on those factories will suffer - cafes, sandwich shops, petrol stations, pubs - you name it.

Then there are the tens of thousands of public sector redundancies which have already started, with a recruitment freeze as well. So no jobs for school leavers and graduates in many public sector fields.

Water charges on the horizon too. Tax credit cuts. Etc.

And the Tories speak of 'economic recovery'! :eek:

Maybe because unless you didn't know there is a whole lot more to UK than Ballymena.

Devastating for the area, undoubtedly - but the country as a whole is doing pretty well compared to many others at present...

qwert_yuiop

stephenni1971 wrote: »

Maybe because unless you didn't know there is a whole lot more to UK than Ballymena.

Devastating for the area, undoubtedly - but the country as a whole is doing pretty well compared to many others at present...

Those are serious blows for the local economy.

I read the complaint about high energy prices. Strange - oil has not been as cheap in years, and it's pretty much the same price everywhere. That's why Aberdeen is having a slump - it's no longer worth extracting oil from under the sea and also why fracking in Fermanagh hasn't been mentioned in the last year.

jenheiffer

qwert_yuiop wrote: »

Those are serious blows for the local economy.

I read the complaint about high energy prices. Strange - oil has not been as cheap in years, and it's pretty much the same price everywhere. That's why Aberdeen is having a slump - it's no longer worth extracting oil from under the sea and also why fracking in Fermanagh hasn't been mentioned in the last year.

Every cloud has a silver lining.

tara747

stephenni1971 wrote: »

Maybe because unless you didn't know there is a whole lot more to UK than Ballymena.

Devastating for the area, undoubtedly - but the country as a whole is doing pretty well compared to many others at present...

Well, quite. Not much comfort to us that the rest of the UK is doing better, though.

qwert_yuiop wrote: »

Those are serious blows for the local economy.

I read the complaint about high energy prices. Strange - oil has not been as cheap in years, and it's pretty much the same price everywhere. That's why Aberdeen is having a slump - it's no longer worth extracting oil from under the sea and also why fracking in Fermanagh hasn't been mentioned in the last year.

Yeah, very serious blows. Ballymena and the wider Antrim area will really suffer. These are highly paid, skilled manufacturing jobs - they won't be replaced.

Ticked

jenheiffer wrote: »

Every cloud has a silver lining.

Every silver lining has a cloud

motorguy

Very sad for those involved and those impacted.

A massive blow for the local economy up there, however job markets move and evolve - you only have to look at all the other large companies who have come here over the last few years and are employing thousands.

motorguy

tara747 wrote: »

These are highly paid, skilled manufacturing jobs - they won't be replaced.

They wont be directly replaced, but they will be indirectly replaced.

Mistral001

The loss of a source of Michelin-trained fitters (mechanic) to the surrounding area will be quite a blow I suspect. I think there is hardly a small factory in the wider area without at least one ex Michelin-trained fitter.


PS. I know many of the present fitters will perhaps start up businesses or get employed by local manufacturing businesses, but Michelin as a trainer of fitters will disappear.

oldhand

The loss of anyones job is always a blow,to the person concerned,their family and the places they spent their money.I know it isnt deliberate but why do the big job losses always seem to happen in the run up to xmas,always makes a bad situation much worse........