Hundreds of workers at a north-east fish factory are to be offered bumper redundancy packages.
Staffing levels at Young’s Seafood Ltd’s plant in Fraserburgh will be slashed as it starts to downsize following the loss of a lucrative salmon contract with supermarket Sainsbury’s.
The firm announced last week that its operation in the port would be kept open and about 250 employees would be kept on to focus on making hot and cold smoked ready-to-eat products.
But about 650 people still face losing their jobs
A taskforce of Scottish Government, union and Young’s representatives met yesterday to thrash-out severance terms for employees who will be made redundant.
Members of the group agreed to work to secure alternative jobs for those affected and to continue to work with the firm to find new markets for its products.
It was also announced that workers who are released from the Watermill Road plant will be paid more than twice the statutory minimum required if they have worked there for more than two years.
Last night, Business Minister Fergus Ewing said job losses would be kept to a minimum before Christmas, and that the majority of the workforce would be released by summer next year.
Young’s will pay off 100 employees by the end of January.
Mr Ewing said: “The company is paying handsome redundancy terms to its workforce – two-and-a-half times the statutory requirement to those who are entitled. We welcome that as a good commitment.
“The Scottish Government left no stone unturned to keep all of the jobs here, but the company, for its reasons, chose to reduce the workforce.
“It is an improvement on the original news which was pretty catastrophic, but, of course, we are disappointed that so many jobs will be lost from Scotland.”
The MSP for Inverness and Nairn added that two PACE events to get the sacked workers back into employment elsewhere had already been arranged with the help of Young’s.
Almost three-quarters of people who attend a PACE workshop are back in work within six months, and Mr Ewing said this proved that “help is there and it works”.
An event for employees at the factory will take place on October 12 to provide training and CV advice.
Another will take place in January where redundant workers will meet other local firms interested in taking on new staff.
Banff and Buchan SNP MP Eilidh Whiteford, who sits on the taskforce, said she was “encouraged” by efforts to help those who will be made redundant.
“The key thing now is that some jobs will be retained at the site,” she said.
“This does give us and Young’s the opportunity to find new work for that site and I am very encouraged by the response of all the people at this taskforce today.
Dominic Kerrigan, board director of Young’s Seafood, said: “Today’s meeting was constructive and we are committed to working with the Scottish Government, and all other stakeholders on the taskforce, to deliver the best possible support for our employees and the local community.”
Co-leader of Aberdeenshire Council, Richard Thomson, said: “We are committed to working with our partners for the benefit of those affected by this decision to help them find alternative employment and minimise the effect on the area as a whole.”