Job losses - New ideas to rescue Waterford

THE callous but not entirely unexpected decision of Talk Talk to stick to its 30 days’ notice for 575 workers in Waterford brings to the fore an issue which has preoccupied people in the south-east for many years — the question of creating a university there.

Enterprise Minister Richard Bruton’s failure to convince the management to keep the call centre open for longer has dashed workers’ hopes, leaving many facing a struggle to keep up with mortgage payments. There is a strong sense in this tragic affair of the Government trying to close the door after the horse has bolted.

If, as Mr Bruton insists, the IDA has an early warning system in place to anticipate such eventualities, then clearly it is not working. Nor is there any denying that the south-east has been neglected as a centre for inward investment. Its traditional industries have declined, leaving thousands in Waterford city, its hinterland in the county and in Kilkenny and Wexford on the dole.