Little cheer for textile mill workers who lost their jobs

A YEAR after 160 jobs were lost at Comerama Textile Mills, the effects are still being felt in Castlecomer, Co Kilkenny.

Workers at the mill hoped the past year might bring a little cheer. However, less than half of them have found jobs. And the prospects for 2004 are not good.

Those working are travelling 30-minutes into Kilkenny city every morning and are being paid less than they were for jobs on their doorstep.

But there’s also an added sting as another new year rolls in. The workers settled their redundancy matters relatively quickly. The deal was accepted because of a verbal commitment by Tánaiste Mary Harney that workers would get improved statutory redundancy payments included in the new national pay deal, which was being agreed at the time. But a year on, that promise has been broken and far from getting two weeks’ payment for every year worked, they have settled for a half-week for every year worked under the age of 41 as well as a week for every year over 41. It’s left one man with just over 11,000 for 30 years on the Comerama payroll.

Formerly Castlecomer Mills, Comerama was the first factory to be built in Castlecomer following the closure of the mines and it had been giving worthwhile employment to the people of Castlecomer since 1969. Despite the best efforts of an appointed business executive no replacement jobs have been found.