Report to the People
24th May 2004
Amazon
in Good Company
Whether
the Scott Lithgow’s, Tate and Lyle and Kincaid’s of yesterday, or the IBM,
T-Mobile and National Semiconductor of today, the brands with which Inverclyde
is associated are famous throughout the world.
And,
as we learned last week, we will soon have another name to add to our stable of
top-line companies. Online
retailing giant, Amazon.co.uk, is set to create up to 300 full-time jobs –
from packers, to human resources support staff – in Gourock.
In
addition to being a worldwide brand, there is another reason why Amazon.co.uk
will fit in well in Inverclyde: they understand the value of adapting and
diversifying. Just as we went from
building ships to building microchips, Amazon has gone from being an
online bookseller, to providing DVDs, computer games, electronic products and
now even tools and household goods.
This
announcement is proof that Inverclyde can still be a place where the blue-chip
brands invest and do business.
And
that we need to attract world-leading companies is not in doubt.
The disappointing, if not wholly unexpected, announcement that Clairemont
Electronics has called in the receivers underlines the fragility of many of the
electronics manufacturing jobs on which our economy is over reliant.
Having
been in similar situations myself, I know that these will be very worrying times
for the staff affected and their families.
I also share their anger at how they have been treated.
Quite apart from the human decency aspect, you cannot build an economic
recovery on the shaky foundations of low-paid, insecure jobs.
There
are also, as you will doubtless be aware, growing calls for the better
protection of agency workers. As
employment law applies UK-wide, it is a matter at which the Westminster
Parliament will have to look. I do
know, however, that our MP, David
Cairns, takes the issue very seriously and has raised the issue with the
Employment Minister. But, no matter
how well agency workers are protected, we will never be able – and nor should
we attempt – to compete on a cost basis with sweatshop economies for low-end
assembly work.
The
decline in the electronics industry has led to some tough times for our economy,
as the Clairemont announcement shows. But
if we can continue to attract a wider range of firms in industries which offer
more secure employment, such as Amazon, we have a real chance of lasting
economic regeneration.
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