Mayo town 'needs new factory' after recent job losses

A Claremorris councillor has called on Mayo's two government ministers - Dara Calleary TD and Alan Dillon TD - to secure a replacement employer for the South Mayo town in the wake of the closure of a local factory.

Some 50 jobs were lost after Cosmetic Creations Ltd, which had been based in the local IDA Industrial Park, ceased operations.

Independent Cllr Richard Finn raised the issue at last week's meeting of Mayo County Council, noting that there would have been "a great hullaballoo" if 50 jobs were lost in Dublin or Galway.

"The smaller areas seem to be forgotten. This is a wake-up call. You can see what is coming down the line in relation to employment and factories - there is going to be a slight downturn at least.

“This closure impacts on 50 people and 50 families, many with mortgages to pay, and maybe another 300 people in the community. 

"We have two ministers in Mayo, and I call on both to approach the IDA and find alternative employment for these people, preferably in the same factory, and that they get immediate supports. The private sector and employers are taxed to oblivion, and the public sector seems to grow like a weed, so I request a replacement for this factory from our ministers and government.” 

Cllr Patsy O’Brien said if it were a case of 50 jobs being announced tomorrow “there would be great fanfare but we don’t hear anything about this”. He called for a taskforce to be set up by the Minister for Enterprise. 

Fears of a recession were also voiced at the meeting due to the unfolding of world events, with councillors expressing concerns about the war in the Middle East and its potentially devastating economic fallout. During a discussion around oil prices and farming as a livelihood, Cllr Peter Flynn said: “We are heading into a major recession and we need to find ways to deal with it."

Cllr Paul McNamara added: “The last recession lasted for ten years during which we lost a generation of young people. It was the farming community that carried us through those dark years and got us back on our feet, but farming is in very unchartered waters now, with changes to CAP and entitlements imminent, which could result in payments so minimal that farmers will be wiped out. On top of that the proposal is to stop payments altogether at the age of 66.” 

Cllr Brendan Mulroy added: “We seem to have forgotten about Covid because we want to move on from it but if we did not have the farming community, we could be talking about a famine across this country and Europe. Farming standards did not drop, farmers kept on working hard, as did the shopkeepers where the products were sold, they are the people that deserve all the credit. As a country or government, I don’t think we even thanked them; they did not have the privilege of sitting inside watching television or taking time out but had to ensure the farming business was kept going.”

• Published as part of the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.