“Disastrous” job losses at Coupar Angus plant

Dec 30 2011 by Greg Christison, Perthshire Advertiser Friday

A MAJOR Big County employer is to slash over 80 jobs in a restructuring operation – leaving workers facing a bleak start to the new year.

Following an announcement in August which suggested 115 roles were in jeopardy, Coupar Angus chicken processing plan, Vion UK confirmed  that 86 posts are being made redundant.

A spokesperson for the firm said: “By working closely with the staff and their union representatives, we have managed to reduce the number of redundancies to 86.”

Despite the positive slant offered by the Vion official, the news left concerned councillors saddened.

Strathmore’s Tory councillor Dennis Melloy described the situation as “disastrous”.

He said: “The community will be up in arms.

“Vion is vitally important to the local community. It means a lot of families in Coupar Angus and the outlying areas have lost a breadwinner.

“It is disastrous.”

Blasting the timing of the announcement, Cllr Melloy added: “I know consultations have been going on for a while.

“But I think it [the timing] is heartless. It’s very sad news.”

Fellow Strathmore councillor, Alan Grant, told the PA: “This is clearly not good news but it might have been worse.

“At one point it was possible that there could have been over 100 redundancies.

“I’m not sure what the company’s motivation is, but I suspect they have been affected by a downturn in the markets, as has everybody else.”

Conceding it would be tough for affected staff to find employment due to the current economic climate, the SNP representative insisted the cuts should not reflect badly on the local community.

He added: “It is probably a reflection of market forces on a larger scale and not of Coupar Angus as a whole.

“One can only express sadness, there is no solution.”

Similarly, Mid-Scotland and Fife MSP Murdo Fraser said that, although the number of redundancies were less than predicted, it offered “no comfort” to those affected.

The Netherlands-based firm’s 2010 annual report, which highlighted a turnover of £7.8bn, described how the introduction of chilling and cutting facilities at the plant brought “business growth and new jobs” to the area.

And last year, they announced 150 new jobs in Coupar Angus thanks to a “multi-million pound investment programme”.