A north-east MSP is demanding answers about the ongoing job loss saga at Young’s Seafood. The processing giant is in the process of cutting hundreds of jobs at its Fraserburgh factory following the loss of a major contract with Sainsbury’s last summer.
In November, it was claimed by Labour MSP Lewis Macdonald that, while jobs were being lost in the north-east, the company that beat Young’s to Sainsbury’s lucrative salmon contract – Marine Harvest – was outsourcing work to Poland.
Mr Macdonald said: “John Swinney and his SNP colleagues have had more than enough time to investigate the situation at Marine Harvest, and to establish Sainsbury’s response to reports that their salmon products are being supplied from outside Scotland and processed in Poland and France.
“This situation is a real mess and it is the workers at Young’s in Fraserburgh who are suffering. It is time ministers gave them clear answers.”
Since Youngs began the consultation process with staff at its Fraserburgh and Spey Valley facilities in the summer, the Scottish Government has launched a special taskforce to support workers.
The Fraserburgh taskforce will be holding a jobs fair in the town on January 28 in an effort to get people back into work when the cuts are made. It has also been working to help secure new seafood processing contracts for the firm.
But the taskforce has apparently not met since October and will not meet again until 29 January, by which time more than 100 employees will be only days from redundancy.
