Task force.
The task force set up in the wake of the announcement by Texas Instruments in Greenock of the closure of the plant within three years has held its first meeting.
The meeting, called by Inverclyde Council Leader, was held in the Council’s municipal buildings in Greenock.
Scottish Government Business Minister, Fergus Ewing MSP, attended the first meeting of the task force and was joined by representatives from the Scottish Government; Scottish Enterprise; The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP); Skills Development Scotland and regional and national politicians.
Inverclyde Council Leader, Councillor Stephen McCabe, said: “This is the first meeting we have held of the task group and it takes places just a few days after the surprise announcement by Texas Instruments. Given the company have placed a three year timescale on the closure, I hope the speed of our actions shows how seriously we take this and the commitment of everyone involved to secure a positive outcome.
“The scale before us is a large one and the forces behind it are likely to be global. These are highly skilled and motivated workers who have served the company and the Scottish economy well for many years. The clock is now ticking on this closure and there isn’t a moment to lose. We have met with senior management at the company in Greenock, the first task force meeting has taken place and I will be joined by Fergus Ewing at a meeting of the American owners later this month to further press our case.
“Texas Instruments has been a good employer locally and have been a very good place for young people in Inverclyde to learn their skills through apprenticeships. That makes it even more important that our primary focus is on the business being secured as a going concern.”
Scottish Government Business Minister Mr Ewing said: “We had a productive first meeting of the Texas Instruments Taskforce yesterday where local and national politicians and relevant agencies came together to start to work together to address the implications of the recent Texas Instruments announcement for the affected workers and the wider Inverclyde community.
“Along with Councillor Stephen McCabe, Leader of Inverclyde Council, I will be meeting US-based senior company representatives in mid-February to discuss the companies intentions and plans to seek a new operator for the site and to stress that we will work closely with the company to ensure a positive outcome for the workers and community.”
PACE representatives at Skills Development Scotland and DWP highlighted at the first task force meeting they will develop packages of tailored support to individuals at Texas Instruments.
The next task force meeting is expected to take place in March after contact is made with the US owners of the company.
The Texas Instruments Task Force was set up after the company announced the closure of the Greenock plant with the loss of 365 jobs. The company said that the closure would be phased over three years.
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