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MINISTER for Education Norma Foley has expressed her deep regret and disappointment that the BorgWarner factory is to close with the loss of over 200 jobs in her home town and said she is working to ensure workers are offered upskilling and retraining opportunities to secure alternative employment.
The company, which has been a major employer in the Tralee area for over 30 years, will close early at the end of March next year and there was shock and disappointment when the news broke yesterday.
“This is an immense blow to Tralee and Co. Kerry,” said Minister Foley. “It is a hugely distressing time for workers and their families and my thoughts are with them. The announcement of the closure, coming during what is a period of great uncertainty is immensely stressful for them.
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“I understand the company plans to provide a financial package and supports to employees who will be made redundant. The company has also indicated its intention to work with the IDA to find alternative investment and employment for the plant. I have spoken directly with Martin Shanahan, CEO of IDA Ireland in this regard and every effort will be made to support these endeavours.
“I am also working with the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment to ensure workers are offered upskilling and retraining opportunities to ensure that they are in the best position possible to secure alternative employment.”
Speaking yesterday about the news, Ken Tobin, CE of Tralee Chamber said; “Not only are Borg Warner a great employer, but their staff are part of the community here in Tralee, Anton Diaz and his team are part of our community here in Tralee. This news couldn’t come at a worse time for the region, it shows that no industry is safe right now.”
Norma Foley never did anything for the town of tralee only send Marks and Spencer to Killarney who were supposed to be the anchor for Manor. Tralee is now known as the ‘Social welfare town ‘ everyone knows what they are entitled to except the natives very very tired and sad
Why is there more industry in Listowel or Killarney than Tralee?
Local politics!
Tralee has been sabotaged for decades by Kerry and even Tralee politicians.
Are the people of Tralee expected to survive on retail jobs alone and social welfare!
Tralee is the capital of Kerry needs industry.
Killarney has a tourism industry, but this was not enough so actual industry like Liebherr Container Cranes Ltd. somehow ended up there and not Tralee.
But, to get to Fenit (Tralee’s port) it has to difficulty direct their finished cranes on trucks trough narrow Tralee town before sunrise damaging town infrastructure like the roundabout outside Kerry University Hospital on a regular basis.
Of course, Tralee should have had this company on geography alone it makes since from a logistical point of view. However, politics were involved and this is the case for Tralee too many times over the decades.
So, I will believe it when I see it when it comes to Tralee as the industrial jobs.
Some how, Rural Kerry people in towns and villages outside Tralee always seem to get the industry and jobs.
Indeed, a sizeable about of Tralee’s retail jobs too?
Just look at the line of cars coming in to Tralee to work in the mornings. Parking in the town is also affected as the workers from out of town have to park somewhere and of course it’s in town, hence a sizeable outsider workforce competing for parking with their customers?
So, less parking which makes Tralee town centre a less appealing destination to shopping (receipt for business disaster / decline). Manor retail parks trade is guaranteed over the town centre on this fact alone, no matter the long list of what else is actually going wrong with the so called town centre at this point in time.
The best is to build additional units in a the Denny factory location when half the town centre is comprised as vacant units – lets just add to that!
Yes, our political class should know better?
What a joke these local politicians are, most have no loyalty to Tralee town and are willing to give jobs destine for Tralee naturally due to Tralee advantageous natural geography, infrastructure and larger population as in the case of Liebherr away to the more rural residents of Kerry.
The Minster talks the talk?
Tralee needs a loyal proud native Tralee politician to turn Tralee around from it’s path of parasitic decay and decline, is it Norma Foley?
Only time will tell!
Good luck 😉