More jobs will be lost in both quarrying and construction

Published 5 Feb 2009 12:00 0 Comments

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As many as 140 jobs have been lost in the quarry, roads and concrete industry in Fermanagh last year with an anticipated further 40 to go in the coming months.

The figures were revealed this week by the Regional Director of the Quarry Products Association (QPANI), Mr. Gordon Best.

The loss of jobs are a reflection of the economic downturn, he said. 'Until we get the bread and butter work through maintenance of roads, schools and hospitals, we will not see an upturn,' he said.

This is the worst operating environment faced by the whole construction industry in Northern Ireland in living memory, believes the QPANI. The Association, which represents 95 per cent of the quarry products industry in Northern Ireland supplying aggregates, concrete, asphalt, cement and bitumen to the NI Construction Industry say the industry lost approximately 1,244 employees in 2008 -- just over the 25 per cent of the total work force.

Mr. Best said: 'Obviously as the main supply industry into local construction and with significant exports to the Irish Republic and Great Britain our members have been hit badly by the economic downturn. Company owners and Directors have faced the very difficult task of having to lay off people, many of them friends, who they have worked with for as much as 30 years. It is not an easy task at the best of times but when you have to sit at the other side of a table to someone you know, whose partners know each other or whose kids go to the same school as yours, it"s hard to do and difficult to take'

The current situation shows no sign of improving in the short term, he said. 'Indeed QPANI projections show that a further 250 jobs could be lost by the end of March 2009, mainly due to the end of the Farm Nutrient Scheme and the construction on concrete slurry tanks and the chronic lack of work within the roads maintenance industry, We know that currently there is an Northern Ireland investment strategy and we welcome the fact that there are major capital projects on schools, hospitals, roads and water infrastructure in the pipeline some of which we will see later this year but most will not happen until after 2012. What do we do in the meantime? There are now even question marks over the financing of some of these major projects,' he said.

Decisions that could be made in the public sector to create private sector jobs have not been taken, he suggests. 'People in our industry have come through difficult times before and they will come through these ones as well. There is real anger and frustration at present being felt by workers in the private sector because they feel decisions to protect and create jobs in Northern Ireland that could be taken by the public sector are not being taken. Whether it be in a Planning decision to allow development that will create jobs or a decision to temporarily set aside financial accounting regulations to allow the bringing forward of work schemes from one financial year to another to preserve peoples livelihoods. The bottom line is our public sector decision makers must make jobs and the economy the priority, not ticking the box of complying with a policy or ensuring that every i is doted and every t crossed on a balance sheet. I am afraid the objective of the NI Executive, as outlined by the First Minister "to support and grow the private sector which has for too long been constrained by the size and influence of the public sector" is still as far off as it ever was,' he said.

Responding Finance Minister, Mr. Nigel Dodds said: ' I believe that whilst the private housing market is experiencing real difficulties, the local construction industry has benefited significantly from investment by the public sector, which has been continuously increasing.

'During this financial year alone, it is expected that Government will spend in excess of £1.4 billion on infrastructure projects.

'During this financial year, road projects worth £420 million are under construction. These include the Westlink and M2 widening scheme; £265 million in hospitals and health care facilities including the Royal Critical Care Unit and redevelopment at Altnagelvin; £216million in waste water infrastructure including the Belfast Sewers Project and 10 waste water treatment plants throughout Northern Ireland; £83 million in colleges of further education including new facilities at the Northern Regional College and South West college; £233 million in schools including new Grammar schools in Ballynahinch and Newry and a new Integrated school in Omagh'.

Roads Service are also scheduled to commence the procurement of the new A5 western corridor from Aughnacloy to Londonderry, he said.

This article appeared in Impartial Reporter 05 Feb 09

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