Pre-election jobs promises fool’s gold, claims Kenny

THE Taoiseach and Tánaiste’s “Golden Thursday” promise of 700 jobs before the general election has turned out to be fool’s gold, Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny claimed yesterday.

Bertie Ahern promised 300 jobs for the empty GSI plant in Macroom before the election, but the plant is still empty.

And when Mary Harney announced 1,000 new jobs for Galway, Limerick and Birr in April 2002, she dubbed the day "Golden Thursday". But the 400 jobs promised for the Thompson Netg plants in Birr and Limerick have not materialised, according to Mr Kenny. "This is another example of hollow promises, like former minister Woods's promises on the school buildings programme, that this government were happy to peddle before the election last year," he said.

Speaking on a visit to the former GSI plant in Macroom, Mr Kenny said a lack of an alternative employer in Macroom proves the Government's policies are failing the economy. Before last year's general election the Taoiseach announced pharmaceutical manufacturer Elan would develop the site at a cost of 60 million over five years, creating up to 300 hi-tech jobs.

"We now know that the promise of new jobs was really fool's gold, presented to the electorate as the real thing," Mr Kenny said.

The Government jumped the gun and last August, it emerged the Elan announcement was made before the company had approved the decision or the IDA had given the go-ahead. And the new Elan chairman said the company had made no firm commitment to the project.

"Macroom is just the tip of the iceberg this government is crippling the private sector with its inflationary policies," Mr Kenny said. The other 400 jobs announced by Ms Harney before the election have not materialised and there is an empty advance factory in Birr and Thompson Netg has actually cut jobs in Limerick, he said.

But Ms Harney's spokesman rejected the claim that this was a broken promise. "Thompson Netg have just deferred their plans to expand, they are fully committed to going ahead with the jobs when there is a recovery in the telecommunications market." Ms Harney has already announced this year 45 IDA-backed projects that will deliver 9,000 jobs, her spokesman added.

Meanwhile, the remaining 600 jobs announced by Ms Harney on "Golden Thursday" 2002 were for the Church Insurance company in Galway over the next five years. These plans are on target with 200 new jobs already in place.