Hopes for future of shelved Dingwall fish factory
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HOPES are high another manufacturer will swoop into Dingwall and start afresh in the building being vacated by the Edinburgh Salmon Company (ESCo).
The base where 264 people lost their jobs at the end of last month is on sale for an undisclosed sum.
Dingwall councillor Margaret Paterson believes the vast majority of the laid off workers will stay put in Dingwall in the hope another venture will open soon.
She said: “Many of those people have lived in Dingwall for years and years; they’ve got staying power, they’re hard workers. They’ve got homes here, their children go to school here; they’ve made Dingwall their home. You don’t leave your home without putting up a really hard fight.”
Fellow ward councillor Alister Mackinnon understands several companies have been eyeing-up the building but doubts the scale of any future fish processing organisation would match ESCo’s operation.
A spokesman for the firm, which opened in Dingwall in 1992, said: “We are exploring all possible avenues regarding a potential sale of the facilities.”
It would not divulge further details, citing commercial sensitivity. Around 20 workers have been kept on to carry out decommissioning.
Before the December closure, more than 150 people attended a jobs fair in Dingwall Town Hall. Employers in attendance included Stagecoach, Tesco, Marine Harvest, High Life Highland and Highland Council.
Highland Council hoped to fill at least some of the 54 vacant jobs it pitched to the stricken fish workers. Roles included teachers, a social worker, drivers, school cleaners and cooks and a catering area supervisor.
It was estimated by Skills Development Scotland, which steered the event, that 100 jobs were on offer.
Kate Forbes, MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch, said: “The jobs fair was very successful in terms of attracting a lot of interested employees.
“Of course it was a difficult period for them but I hope that the training providers and employers opened up new opportunities for them.
“I have had correspondence from at least one attendee since the event.”
