Labelling measures ‘could have saved plant’

THE Government has come under fire over the loss of hundreds of jobs in west Waterford following Tuesday’s announcement of the closure of Cappoquin Chickens.

And while Tánaiste and Employment Minister Mary Coughlan was ctiticised for saying last week that FÁS would be available to workers, even while discussions about a rescue plan were continuing, supermarkets and chicken importers were also blamed for the economic blow to the area.

SIPTU’s area representative David Lane said the Government should have stepped in “a long time ago” to help save the factory. “They did little or nothing to stop the imports coming in and the imports were the biggest threat.”