IN THE LATEST blow to the Fermanagh employment market more than 20 jobs are set to go at Lisnaskea quarrying and construction contractor P Clarke & Sons.
Staff have received the devastating news from management that “at least 20 workers” have been given notice of redundancy at the third generation family owned business.
The development is yet another blow for the employment market in Lisnaskea, which has suffered over the years from a huge loss of manufacturing employment, through the closures of Adria, Dairycrest Creamery, Cheese Factory, Watson Stones and the Sir Richard Arkwright factory.
Unite Regional officer with responsibility for the workforce, Gareth Scott, confirmed that union representatives had met with workers at the firm on Monday.
“Workers at P. Clarke & Sons Ltd told us that management had given them notice of redundancy affecting at least 20 workers. We are very concerned that management has failed to contact Unite, as representatives of the workforce with a recognition agreement, to consult on these redundancies and the clear impact they will have on employees. We will not stand idly by as management fail to recognise workers’ rights and meet their obligations.
“Workers claim that they have been paid by a third party for a number of weeks and there is mounting speculation that the company may stop trading or be transferred to alternative ownership before the end of the week. It is critical that the union is engaged in this process to guarantee the interests of the workforce,” Mr Scott concluded.
Chair of one of Unite’s two Fermanagh-based branches, who was present at the meeting, Padraig Murphy, expressed the concerns of the local community:
“Over the past decades we have seen a huge loss of manufacturing employment in Lisnaskea with the closure of Adria, Dairycrest Creamery, Cheese Factory, Watson Stones and the Sir Richard Arkwright factory. Now we are facing a threat to one of the few large, remaining employers, P Clarke & Sons, at the cost of more than 90 jobs.
“This is one of the leading road surfacing operators in Northern Ireland renowned for the quality of its tarmac work as the rock quarried by the company is some of the best in the region. We can’t allow these jobs or this company to simply disappear.”
Mr Murphy called on our local political representatives to take action in order to save this pivotal local employer.
“Those facing unemployment aren’t on holidays – we need a local employment taskforce to address the employment crisis in Fermanagh and specifically in Lisnaskea.”
Jean McVitty from the Lisnaskea Chamber of Commerce said there had been rumours regarding the company going around the local community recently.
“It’s a long established firm and I’m very sorry to hear this. It will greatly affect the town of Lisnaskea and the surrounding areas. They’re in business for so long and a lot of the workers are there a long period of time.
“It seems to one blow after another this last while in Fermanagh, it will take its toll. They are excellent employers and a long established firm. I honestly am truly very sorry to hear this.”
Local Sinn Fein MLA Sean Lynch noted these were “difficult times”, but said it would be unfortunate for the Lisnaskea community if there were redundancies. Mr Lynch admitted he had heard rumours from employees.
“I was up at Croke Park at the weekend and I would meet Clarkes workers I would know and socialise with them and there was all sorts of rumours going around about third parties and things like that, I heard all the rumours.
“Obviously in a time of uncertainty rumours will flourish, I don’t know about people being paid by a third party though, I’m not aware of that.”
He added:
“Clarkes have been a local group here for generations, very much grounded in the Lisnaskea community and in life here and there are generations of workers who have worked in Clarkes, they have been a solid employer for all those years and hopefully everything would work out, but not withstanding they are difficult times for all traders.”
The Fermanagh Herald tried to contact P Clarke & Sons for comment, but at the time of going to press had not received a response.
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