Unite the Union has condemned plans by Associated Print to shut its Portadown facility, warning that the move would result in the loss of over 30 skilled jobs and deals a severe blow to Northern Ireland’s newspaper print capacity.
The union is calling on Associated Print to drop its plans to close the Carn site and instead invest in the business or else sell the site to someone who would take on the business as a going concern.
Unite believes the modern and small-scale print works at the factory are perfect to meet the needs of the industry given the complexities involved in printing large numbers of papers in small quantities.
Sharon Graham general secretary said: “It is totally unacceptable that a viable business and its workers face being thrown on the scrapheap because of mismanagement. This can and should be a fundamentally viable business.”
Unite regional officer Neil Moore said: “If Associated Print pushes ahead with closing this site, it will leave just one newspaper print works operating in Northern Ireland. That’s not just a blow to jobs, it’s a strategic risk to the print industry and a wider threat to skills.
“If the company won’t invest in this workforce or this facility, it should be prepared to stand aside for someone who sees the long-term value in this facility. We are pursuing every available option and will not allow these workers to be discarded without a fight”
The closure would occur alongside the proposed shutdown of a printing plant in Cork and further the centralisation of newspaper production to Britain.
The union is engaging with its members on the next steps in its campaign to keep the Portadown print works open.
