Carron Phoenix campaign gathers support
Once again we are witnessing working class people in Scotland being thrown on to the scrap heap by ruthless employer who clearly put profit before people says GMB Scotland
The campaign to keep Carron Phoenix, Scotland's oldest manufacturing company, open gathered pace today following a meeting with GMB Scotland representatives and Falkirk council leaders.
The council told trade union representatives that it is fully committed to working with unions and mirrored the sentiments of the first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, who promised everything that could be done would be done to retain the manufacturing plant at Falkirk. Carron Phoenix exports its products, such as Franke granite sinks, predominately to Europe but almost 30% goes to America and it even exports to China.
The trade unions will be meeting again shortly after the Scottish elections on a single table with the business secretary, senior representatives of Scottish enterprise and Falkirk council leaders to reassess what exactly is needed by Carron Phoenix to keep its operation in Falkirk.
Gary Cook, GMB Regional Officer, said: "The meeting with the council was very productive and up-beat. The council are clearly on the same page as GMB in terms of their commitment to try to save these high value manufacturing jobs in Scotland.
Contrary to what some people may think this is a company that are producing a high end product at a premium price that customers are prepared to pay for. Its order book is full and the company is even employing temporary workers to keep up with demand. This is a profitable business and not an antiquated sunset manufacturer.
Carron Phoenix is very much on the up and the decision by the parent company, Franke, to move its operation to Slovakia is motivated solely by its greed for ever increasing profits. Once again we are witnessing working class people in Scotland being thrown on to the scrap heap by a ruthless employer who is clearly putting profit before people. This is a plant’s pedigree is second to none with a flexible hard working workforce and together we are embarking on this difficult campaign to fight for and retain the Carron Phoenix plant - it's just too valuable and important to give up on."
