I regret that the Minister is not present to reply. That is no reflection on the Ministers of State present. While I appreciate their presence, I would prefer to see the Minister.
Yesterday morning on their way to work the Meenmore, Dungloe employees of Arramara were shocked to hear the news that the factory was to close with the loss of 12 jobs. While the news was devastating, the method of its delivery was cruel in the extreme. The Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources issued the diktat from his constituency the previous night without reference to the board of Arramara Teo., the employees or anyone else. The arrogance was breathtaking. No meetings were held, no advice sought, no soundings taken, no alternatives considered: it was just a fait accompli. Is that the proper way to treat workers who have given many years of loyalty to a company?
My criticism of the Minister's handling of this debacle is not just political. There has been widespread criticism of his actions by members of his own party. Human beings should be treated with more courtesy, sympathy, respect and understanding than the Minister was prepared to give.
Arramara is a long established company. It was founded in 1947 in Galway and in 1968 in Dungloe. It is based on a natural renewable resource, seaweed, and is unique in that the Minister is the majority shareholder, owning 51% of the company. The balance is held by ISP Alginates, a company based in Scotland. The company directly employs 34 staff and up to 400 other people involved in seasonal seaweed harvesting along the western seaboard. I estimate that 200 of those part-time workers will be affected by the closure of the Dungloe plant. The company returned a small profit almost every year and paid a dividend to shareholders until recent times but no money was ever invested in improving facilities, marketing or research and development. This is certainly not the case with many of its sister semi-State companies which receive huge amounts of cash annually.
Arramara provided a social service to communities along the west coast, particularly when alternative employment was difficult to find. The number affected in Donegal will be 12 full-time employees, around 200 part-time or seasonal harvesters and a haulage contractor who invested in specially adapted lorries to load and transport seaweed. Many local engineering companies, garages and shops will also see a drop in their turnover. A whole community will be affected.
It is significant that under the Minister's restructuring plan all surviving operations will be relocated in Kilkieran, the Galway centre. This seems to be the Minister's own decision made without reference to the board. It has all the appearances of being a political decision or an exercise in keeping his own constituents happy at the expense of the Donegal workers. Decisions with such social and economic consequences should not be taken in the name of political expediency. Can the Minister of State inform us of the plans for the future of the Meenmore facility? Will it be maintained for future production purposes or are there plans to sell it to help finance the Kilkieran facility? The workers are anxious, and entitled, to know. What does the future hold for the 200 seaweed harvesters who will, in all probability, lose a valuable source of income? Can they expect compensation or redundancy? They have made a massive contribution in difficult conditions to Arramara. Are they also to be consigned to the economic scrapheap?
Even at this late stage these valuable jobs can be saved. There is a demand for such a product and the expertise is there. A joint approach by the Minister and Údarás na Gaeltachta – I am delighted to see the Minister of State at the Department of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands here – should be initiated. A capital injection may be sufficient to safeguard the livelihoods of the Donegal families depending on the continuation of Arramara.
Mar fhocal scoir, drochscéal é seo don Clochán Liath agus don cheantar Gaeltachta i dTír Chonaill. Tá súil agam nach é sin deireadh an scéal agus go ndéanfar rud éigin chun na postanna seo a chaoimhniú san am atá romhainn.
