The majority of Young’s Seafood workers in the Fraserburgh area of Scotland that lost their jobs following the seafood company’s decision to reduce its operations in the town have now found alternative employment, Scottish Government Business Minister Paul Wheelhouse confirmed.
Up to 650 jobs were lost at Young’s plants in Fraserburgh and Grantown-on-Spey last year. Young's considered plans to close both plants after it lost a GBP 100 million (USD 122.6 million, EUR 115.8 million) contract with retailer Sainsbury’s to Marine Harvest in 2015, but later decided to keep both sites open and cut its workforce from 900 to around 250.
The Fraserburgh Task Force included representatives of Young’s, USDAW, Scottish Enterprise, Skills Development Scotland, Aberdeenshire Council, local elected representatives and industry bodies. Following its final meeting, which was set up to help workers and communities affected by the move, Wheelhouse highlighted the positive contribution the group had made over the past 14 months and confirmed that further discussions will be taken forward on specific proposals for the Fraserburgh area.
“Those involved recognized the effectiveness of measures introduced to support workers, businesses and communities which were impacted by the reduction of operations at Young’s Seafood. A clear consensus emerged that we must now move on to the next stage of support for the Fraserburgh area," Wheelhouse said. “The task force has agreed that the original aims of the group, in respect to responding to the immediacy of the situation, have been met with many of the affected workforce finding alternative employment, but work will continue in a coordinated manner to target support to the remaining seven percent of those affected who remain unemployed or have suffered a significant loss of income."
Among the plans suggested as having the potential to bring wider economic impacts for the area are a seafood center of excellence, an electronic auction system at Fraserburgh harbor and increasing landings into Scottish ports.
“It is my commitment to the people of Fraserburgh that the Scottish government will be fully involved in future discussions, at ministerial level, and I am keen to maintain my own involvement to oversee progress and to work with Aberdeenshire Council and local stakeholders to push for positive outcomes and projects to be achieved," Wheelhouse said.
