There was fresh hope last night that hundreds of north-east fish factory jobs will not be axed in the run-up to Christmas.
Workers at the Young’s Seafood plant in Fraserburgh held talks with bosses yesterday – a week after plans were unveiled to close the processing site.
A union chief described the discussions as “constructive” – and said there was a chance the factory could still be operational in March next year.
A huge question mark is hanging over the future of the plant’s 900 workers after Grimsby-based Young’s lost a lucrative contract to supply supermarket Sainsbury’s with salmon.
A smokehouse in the Highlands, which employs about 25 people, is also under threat.
Young’s chief executive Pete Ward and the company’s human resources director Dominic Kerrigan arrived at the Watermill Road factory in Fraserburgh yesterday to hold discussions with about a dozen workers’ representatives.
And last night Alex Moonan, of the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers, said: “It was a constructive meeting, the first of many hopefully.
“No decision has been made yet. We see the plant being active over Christmas and at least until March.
“What kind of workforce we will have I don’t know, but it’s hoped we can keep all employees because we will still maintain our Christmas orders.
“We now have time as a union to sit down and digest what we’ve been told. It was constructive enough today, that’s the message we’ll be giving the workforce.”
Mr Moonan added: “My concern is that what happens with the town goes hand-in-hand with what happens to the workforce. It’s early days just now, but we are quite positive.”
Young’s Seafood declined to comment after the meeting, however it is understood the firm will hold further talks with staff representatives on Wednesday.
That will be followed by a stakeholder meeting with local and national government officials on Thursday.
Aberdeenshire Council members were briefed earlier this week about the ongoing negotiations.
Last night, Fraserburgh councillor Charles Buchan, who is chairman of the local authority’s fisheries group, said: “It’s not quite reassuring, but it’s more positive than I thought it would be. At least they’re not just going to desert the town as soon as the contract goes.
“If nothing else, there’s an element of progress.”
Mr Buchan stressed how severe the potential closure of the plant would be for the port.
He said: “Fraserburgh is the town in Scotland which has the largest element of fish in its economy – that includes processing as well as catching.
“You must remember all the secondary companies which service the Young’s plant – those who provide the transport and so on. It’s not just the Young’s employees who would be hit.”
Earlier this week Scottish Business Minister Fergus Ewing announced a joint task force of government, council and industry officials will explore alternatives to the closure of the plant.
Young’s has already indicated that trying to find a buyer for the Fraserburgh factory could be an option.