Minister to tackle jobs crisis urged

TAOISEACH Bertie Ahern should appoint a dedicated junior minister for employment in the north-west, SIPTU president Jack O’Connor urged last night.

Following the closure of Fruit of the Loom’s factories in Donegal and Derry with the loss of 650 jobs, Mr O’Connor said such a minister would allow a co-ordinated approach to employment creation from governments on both sides of the Border. “Such a minister could spearhead a cross-border jobs initiative with an integrated approach by the IDA, the IDB and Enterprise Ireland,” he said.

Pointing out that more than 1,600 jobs have been lost in the north-west region, Mr O’Connor said InterTradeIreland - a cross-border body established by the Good Friday Agreement - should move to address the economic crisis in the region.

Criticising the poor state of crucial infrastructure such as broadband, Mr O’Connor also called for major investment by both governments as well as a new focus on training.

“There should be a specially focused training initiative to enhance the skills, adaptability and mobility of those still at work and for those who have recently lost employment,” he said.

However, Mr O’Connor warned that such training programmes must be tailored to suit the skills needs of companies with a track record of investing internationally.

“We should examine the degree to which such companies could be encouraged to locate satellite projects in the north-west.

“This could be especially attractive to those who have difficulty in finding adequately trained staff,” he said.