NI Conservatives’ economy spokesman, Johnny Andrews, has described the imminent closure of the JTI Gallaher plant in Ballymena, which was announced today, as “a devastating blow for the town and the local economy”.
“This is appalling news and my sympathies go to the people whose livelihoods will now be in doubt, and their families”, Johnny said. “Losing around 800 jobs really puts into perspective some of the trivial issues which preoccupy the parties at Stormont. It also casts into stark relief the importance of putting sustainable, private sector job creation at the very front and centre of policy and governance in Northern Ireland. The fact that our employment statistics are so far behind the rest of UK shows that this is not happening and it is, quite simply, an abdication of responsibility by Stormont politicians.”
“The Executive owes it to everyone who is unemployed, or facing unemployment, to make its single greatest priority getting the economy moving properly and creating more jobs. That means making Northern Ireland more competitive by harmonising employment law with the rest of the UK. It means having a pipeline of infrastructure projects ready to go, to boost construction. It also means reforming welfare, rather than laying off private sector contractors who provide frontline public services. Until these things start happening, the saddest thing about large scale job losses like the announcement in Ballymena, is that the people’s prospects of getting back into work quickly are damaged by an Executive which is paralysed by indecision and inaction.”