Futureprint closure "devastating"
Published: 16 June, 2010
Commenting on the closure of Futureprint in Baldoyle with the loss of 112 jobs, Sinn Féin representative Mícheál Mac Donncha described the news as "a devastating blow". He pointed out that the Government had to bear a large part of the responsibility for the decline of the Irish printing sector by allowing major State printing contracts, including exam papers, to go to Britain. He said:
"The closure of Futureprint with the loss of 112 jobs is a devastating blow. It comes at a time when the live register shows a signifcant increase in unemplyment since the start of the year. There are over 10,000 people signing on in North East Dublin.
"I sympathise with the Futureprint workers and their families. This is one of the most technically advanced printing operations in the country. It should not be allowed to close.
"It is ironic that this closure comes at a time when students are sitting their Leaving and Junior Cert exams. The State Examination Commission awarded the contract for the printing of the over 30 million Leaving and Junior Cert exam papers to two firms in Britain. This is disgraceful in a situation where the Irish printing industry is in dire straits. The Government must bear a large part of the responsibility for the decline of the Irish print and packaging industry.
"The Government claims that the exam papers contract had to go out to tender under EU rules. But it could easily have been broken up into smaller contracts in order to keep the business in Ireland. Yet again the Government has failed to protect Irish jobs."
|
