Athy workers and farmers suffer in Bachelors closure – Daly

Devastating news that Bachelors factory in Athy is to close will hit workers and local farmers hard according to Cllr Richard Daly

“Since 1940 Bachelors has been a good employer and a landmark in Athy and it is with great sadness that we learn that the factory is to close this June. The 16 workers have been hit y the sudden announcement that the packaging operation is to move to Cabra and this workforce is a very local one who would not be in a position to commute even if there was transfer on offer.” Said Cllr Daly

“For the local farming community the prospects seem particularly bleak. While land would have been allocated for the crop at this stage they now have no delivery point for the harvest. While the company claim that they want to see continued supply from local farmers the writing is on the wall for pea farmers. The same locality which was hit hard by the demise of the beet industry now sees another crop facing extinction in the region.

While Athy has seen no investment in new industry in over a decade replacement employment for the most recent group facing redundancy was never more scarce. We have the highest unemployment rate in 10 years in Ireland and a building industry in decline.

Athy has been designated a RAPID town and must be prioritised for serious investment and job creation.

I sympathise with the workers and their families who see their jobs vanish in June and I urge our national politicians to put Athy centre stage for industrial development”

ENDS