Job losses 'bolt out of the blue'
THE leader of Teignbridge Council, Jeremy Christophers, said the jobs news came 'like a bolt out of the blue'.
Mr Christophers (pictured) said: "It is extremely unfortunate .There may have been 270 jobs created at Morrisons, but within a matter of weeks we are knocked back.
"These are really challenging times and the jobs we are losing are highly specialised so we are concerned the people who are out of work will be able to find something to match their skills.
"The situation at Centrax is like a bolt out of the blue. We were optimistic it would move in a positive direction and were hoping it was in an area of expansion."
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He said the council was visiting Buckfast this week to discuss housing, benefits and job searching and would extend help to those affected at Centrax.
He said the district authority is looking to create 2,000 jobs with 70 hectares of employment land in Plan Teignbridge.
And training and education opportunities were opening up for Teignbridge youngsters.
He said: "But that doesn't help the people facing a bleak short term future that are now in the dreadful position of losing their jobs."
Cllr Ann Armstrong, deputy mayor of Buckfastleigh town council, said: "It is a black day for Buckfast when you are losing the largest employer in the area.
"There are so many families who will be affected and it is likely there are two or three people in each family who may work there.
"But it is not just those jobs we are losing because there will be an affect on the services around.
"There may be a glimmer of hope in that the new owner of the tannery wants to expand so some jobs may be created there, but I don't expect there will be very many."
Comments
by MisterDonut
Thursday, March 07 2013, 9:56AM
“Most things come like a bolt out of the blue to public sector workers. They have their heads in the sand and are too busy taking the gravy off of the train.”