SECURING the use of the Packard plant is a key objective in the plan to replace the lost jobs there, the Minister for Enterprise and Employment has said.
Mr Richard Bruton was speaking yesterday at the opening of Bizin 1996, an exhibition of products and services in the Tallaght area. He said he had initiated contacts with General Motors, about acquiring the site and securing alternative work for the plant within the company's operations.
He had also arranged for an executive group from the Industrial Development Authority to work alongside the special task force, which meets for the second time this morning.
Nobody could be anything but stunned by the events of the past few days, Mr Bruton said. "Tallaght has had a bad week but it has had many good weeks in the past, and with the sense of enterprise and the buzz in this area I know that we can put the events of this week behind us and restore the confidence that has been shattered."
He was delighted with the level of support the task force was receiving from official agencies and local voluntary bodies. "I'm very pleased at the determination I'm seeing from everybody that all the stops are going to be pulled out to replace these jobs," he said.
The exhibition, in the National Basketball Arena, is organised by the Tallaght South Dublin Chamber of Commerce. Welcoming the Minister, the chamber president, Mr Tom Clarke, said the event was part of an ongoing effort to improve the image and investment prospects of the area.
"Unfortunately from time to time we meet setbacks, and the Packard announcement this week has been a shock to everybody," he said. The chamber was committed not only to helping the Packard employees, but also to preventing further job losses in the many suppliers and sub contractors to the plant.
