Sugar Factory Closure Shock

Tuam Herald and Western Advertiser, Saturday, January 11, 1986.

Reports by ... Kevin O'Sullivan, Declan Dunne and Francis Farragher

Closure of Tuam sugar factory, even for two months as a cost measure, is regarded as a major threat to the continued operation of the factory and general economy of the region.

There was angry reaction to the Sugar Company's announcement on Friday last that, the factory is to close from January 17th and that 121 permanent workers are to be laid off as an economy measure.

Workers were taken completely by surprise when the Company decision was made known, and with beet growers and local community bodies they are preparing to fight the closedown even if they have to carry their protests to the company's head office in Dublin.

A further 45 jobs are threatened at the company's subsidiary Tuam Engineering, whose workforce were also told on Friday that they would have to take a 10 per cent wage cut and forego a 6 per cent pay increase or else the plant would close. In any event a number of redundancies is to be made in the engineering section at Airglooney which will include the laying off of Workers Action Committee chairman Jimmy O'Mara.

Junior Agriculture Minister Paul Connaughton has stressed that the Government's wish to save sugar processing in Tuam will be honored and sought to allay fears growers have that there might be no campaign in the area in 1986.

At a joint emergency meeting of the Town Board, Chamber of Commerce and Community Council on Tuesday, it was decided to seek a meeting immediately with Mr. Connaughton and Agriculture Minister Austin Deasy to impress, on them the need to rescind the closure decision. Some 57 workers are being kept on during the period to maintain the factory.

Mr. Deasy has been requested to call Sugar Company Managing Director Chris Comerford back from America, where he is on business, to account for his action, which those at the meeting felt were against Government policy on the Airglooney plant.

In any event a Tuam delegation is seeking a meeting with the acting managing director J. P. Gray, which if not successful in reversing the decision will result in a continuous picket being placed outside the company's head office in St. Stephen's Green, Dublin.

The community proposals, which include a meeting with Fianna Fail leader Charles Haughey, were put to Airglooney workers who met with company Worker directors on Wednesday afternoon.

The directors, who claimed that the measures were not discussed at board level, traveled from Thurles where the sugar factory is to close for a month.