Issued : Friday 10 September, 2010

The confirmation that 160 jobs are to go at Schering-Plough will have a huge impact on the local communities in and around Bandon and Innishannon.

The first priority must be the employees and ensuring that an adequate and beneficial redundancy package is made available to them. It is a sad fact that these manufacturing jobs are no longer sustainable. Emphasise must now be put into organising re-training and up-skilling courses for those made redundant.

The Government must begin a two-pronged approach to creating jobs. It must start actively attracting large international manufacturing companies to locate in Ireland to ensure more jobs in the manufacturing sector are available. But it must also ensure that supports are put in place to encourage entrepreneurship andsustainable job creation in local communities.

I welcome the fact that these redundancies will be voluntary and will take place over a three period. This will give the community time to put an action plan in place. All relevant Government departments, state agencies and Cork County Council must now act in a cohesive and positive way to create new job opportunities in this area.

I also welcome the company’s commitment to remaining in the area. Despite this bad news, Schering-Plough remains a major employer in West Cork and every effort must be made by Government to maintain the existing 360 jobs.

The unemployment rate in this country is the cause of a social crisis of massive proportion. Regardless of the lack of Government interest in it, it remains our biggest problem. We need to develop a vision for sustainable development and job creation in West Cork and we need to act on it.