Local authority says earlier warning should have been given over job losses

The Leader of Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, the Western Isles Council, has expressed frustration that employees and the community were not alerted earlier over plans to shut down a Bakkafrost processing plant.

Faroes-owned Bakkafrost Scotland has extensive salmon farming operations in the Western Isles, but this week it announced that its processing plant and harvest station in Stornoway, Isle of Lewis, are likely to be mothballed for a period of time because there will not be enough production to sustain them.

The company said it would be consulting with the 77 staff at the Marybank processing plant in Stornoway over redundancy proposals. Staff working on the company’s fish farms in the region are not thought to be affected.

Representatives from Comhairle nan Eilean Siar met yesterday with Ian Laister, Bakkafrost Managing Director for Scotland

At the meeting, Comhairle representatives sought assurances from Bakkafrost on their plans for the impacted employees, the future of their operations in the Western Isles and the reasons for their decision.

Speaking following the meeting Cllr Paul Steele, Leader of Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, said: “Our primary concern following this announcement is the wellbeing of the employees impacted by this decision and their families. Comhairle nan Eilean Siar will work alongside Skills Development Scotland and partners through the PACE programme to ensure employability support is available to all those impacted. This decision will also have a significant impact on local businesses who provided services to Bakkafrost.”

“The Western Isles has made a significant and sustained contribution to aquaculture both in Scotland and Globally. Our natural resources, the work of local businesses and the industry expertise of islanders have been crucial to the Scottish operations of Bakkafrost and other large-scale producers. The decisions made by Bakkafrost have not been made overnight. Removing 77 jobs from the Western Isles is incredibly significant and notification of this move should have been provided at a much earlier stage.

”Comhairle nan Eilean Siar will continue to engage directly with Bakkafrost to seek clarity on its future plans for the islands, including opportunities for the resumption of processing activity as part of its long-term production strategy”

Local politicians representing the islands in Westminster and the Scottish parliament, Torcuil Crichton MP and Alasdair Allan MSP, have also expressed concern over the potential job losses.

Bakkafrost Marybank processing facility, Stornoway (photo: Google Street View)