Report
to the People
13th
January 2003
The Future of the Electronics Industry
If I live to be a hundred I will never understand why our supposed serious political commentators (and some senior figures who you would think had more important things to worry about) thought last week’s main political story was about MSPs pressing the wrong button in a vote.
In a week when hundreds of jobs were lost at Fullarton’s and others and IBM took a major step forward in its restructuring programme, I am sure most of us in Inverclyde had slightly more pressing matters on our minds.
Fullarton’s staff, for example, were coming to terms with unemployment and wondering about their next move. Various arms of local and central government were concerned about how to get proper support to those who had been scattered to the 4 corners of the wind by the abysmally handled closure. IBM staff were unsettled by rumours of major job losses at the plant. And, when the direst predictions thankfully proved wide of the mark, anxieties remained over how their terms and conditions would change.
Uppermost in my mind has been how we respond to these announcements – particularly the one from Fullarton’s. We must not, as I said to Jack McConnell at First Minister’s Question Time, allow our relief at the fact that our worst fears about IBM were not realised to mask the fact that hundreds of workers lost their jobs.
Real, practical support is needed now. I was therefore reassured when, at our meeting last Thursday night, Enterprise Minister, Iain Gray, confirmed that a Partnership Action for Continuing Employment – or PACE – team, is going in now. This will be able to deliver a range of services from one to one counselling, to access to high-quality customised training.
However, this action, whilst essential and of course welcome, on its own is not enough. If we want to avoid a situation such as this happening again, we must work to reduce our over dependence on the electronics sector. This, in short, means broadening and strengthening our economic base. And that means making business premises available in the right places; it means encouraging small, local businesses; and it means expanding our skill base through lifelong learning.
But these changes can only happen – and will only be sustained – with commitment and co-ordinated efforts from politicians, local agencies and the Scottish Executive.
And I for one will be working hard to make that happen.
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