More Alford mill lay-offs

Press, 2 September 1980, Page 2

More Alford mill lay-offs

Eleven more workers-, at the Alford Forest, mill will lose their jobs at the end of this week in the. la test, but what is expected to be .the last, round of redundancies at the mill. ’ ; A■' Six workers were made redundant last week, but this “should be the end of it,” the mill’s - manager’ (Mr J. Thomson)' said yesterday. Some jobs had been saved through retraining, he said, and at least four of the workers had found positions in the industry in'other centres'. . ’ The mill is now owned by Alliance Textiles, Ltd, which took over from Mosgiel, Ltd, last month, after ’ Mosgiel was forced into receivership- ’ About 170 were employed at the mill in the final days of Mosgiel’s ownership, but that was cut to about 120 by the receivers. When Alliance officially took control the number of employees was reduced to 86.

In spite of the latest-;- redundancies, Mr ! Thomson, said staff morale was high and orders appeared to be ; building up. . . The mill’s new management' has 'made ho secret that it is monitoring -the profitability of the mill. Alliance’s managing director (Mr F.’ B.‘ MCKenzie) has said that its profitability would have t be proved. • Assertions had been made that the Alford Forest Mill was a profitable unit -of Mosgiel’s business, ‘ but . that was discounted. .' by. :Mr McKenzie? He said that Mpsgiel’s accounting system assessed all of its ■ enterprises together; Alliance would separate them to watch their performance. . -V.. t The woollen .spinning, department at the mill is due to be .closed, which has caused . the latest redundancies. Production in : the worsted yarn spinning department is being increased.