Ba mhaith liom ar dtús mo comhghairdeas a thabhairt duit agus tá siúl agam go néireoidh leat sa phost nua. This morning I raised the matter of the possible closure of the Asahi plant. Since then, unfortunately, events have been overtaken with the terrible news at 1.30 p.m. today that the Asahi plant is to close. This news is disappointing for the north Mayo region as it involves the loss of 315 jobs and the loss of an annual investment of £10 million into the local economy. There is already a serious unemployment problem in the north Mayo region and a resultant dependency on the social welfare system.
The loss of the 315 jobs affects not only people in Mayo but people in neighbouring counties such as Sligo. The news is particularly disappointing given that today I spoke to staff members of the Asahi plant and also to the union representatives. I have no doubt that had this matter been referred to the Labour Court tomorrow, as offered by the union representatives, a solution could have been found. I am disappointed the Japanese management could not wait an extra 24 hours to see if it was possible to find a solution to this serious problem which has thrown the north Mayo region into crisis.
The union representatives would have been available today, or tomorrow at 2.30 p.m. as arranged, but unfortunately, they received a negative response from the Japanese management.
A number of questions must be asked. This company has been in existence for the past 20 years and even though there are different cultures between the Japanese and the Irish, the Japanese management was well aware of the industrial relations procedures that exist in Ireland and that it is common for matters to be referred to the Labour Court Why could an additional 24 hours not have been given? It raises the question of whether the viability plan drawn up by the previous Government before the general election was viable or was just an election gimmick to get us over that date in June. This is a very serious situation.
I welcome the efforts being made by the Minister. I have just come from a press conference with her a moment ago and I accept she is making every effort to ensure that another industry will be found for the north Mayo region. However, the track record of State agencies in this regard in County Mayo is very poor. Last year the IDA announced 17,000 jobs in Ireland as a whole but not one job in County Mayo. I know the Minister is committed, but I would also ask for commitment from the State agencies to ensure that a real effort is made under the new North Mayo Enterprise Initiative to find an alternative industry. Currently in County Mayo thousands of people are devastated as a result of today's decision which they cannot understand.
Is there any possibility, even at this late stage, that the Japanese management might reconsider and go to the Labour Court tomorrow? Is there any possibility that if the employees in the Asahi plant, who are meeting at present, reballot their members this evening, the factory could be saved? I thank the Tánaiste for her efforts to date. The loss of this factory is of primary concern to the people of Mayo. The proposal to look for a viable alternative is welcome, but it would be better to save the factory we have because it is very difficult to attract jobs to this region.