Jobs blow for Coalisland & Armagh
Wednesday, 8 February 2012
EMPLOYMENT prospects in Mid-Ulster have received a fresh blow after a family-run Coalisland firm went into liquidation putting 40 jobs at risk, while in neighbouring Armagh 50 jobs are to go with the closure of a well-known haulage firm.
Concrete Flooring Systems (CFS), a construction industry manufacturer based on Gortgonis Road, now faces an uncertain future and may become the latest bad news story in a week which also saw an Armagh haulage firm close at the cost of 50 jobs.
Speaking to the Courier soon after the liquidation announcement, Niall O'Hanlon, sales director, said: "After 40 years of running a family business, we are crushed to be in this position. My father founded this company and we worked hard, fought hard, to provide jobs for the Coalisland area. We tried to maintain employment locally and we're devastated this has happened."
Now around forty employees face an anxious wait to see if their jobs will be lost.
“No decision has been made on redundancies as far as we know," continued Mr O'Hanlon. "It's out of our hands. Suffice to say the economic climate has put us in this position.
"But we are thankful for the employees, clients and customers who have supported us throughout."
Mid-Ulster MLA Francie Molloy voiced hope some jobs at the company could yet be saved.
“To lose 40 jobs would be a bad blow for Coalisland. CFS were a very successful business who exported all over the UK, However there is still a need for their product, so there is still hope for a turnaround. For the company to comeback it will require restructuring and downscaling, particularly since overheads are still so high, but everything has been done to keep the company going and that will continue.
“It's a shame because the economic crisis has happened globally but the effects are felt locally," he continued. "The company has been going a long time and the O'Hanlon family have brought a lot of work and jobs into the area. But hopefully some jobs at CFS can yet be sustained and I'm positive there is still opportunity in Coalisland for economic development - but we have to ensure planning is flexible enough to allow jobs to be created."
Meanwhile the news from East Tyrone compounded a bad week for the local economy after the announcement 50 jobs would be lost due to the closing of haulage firm Noel Zwecker International Transport, based near Armagh.
A statement from the company on Thursday said: "A reduction in trading and lack of parity in relation to fuel prices has contributed to this situation - this is a blow to the local economy that as a whole is feeling the economic pressures of recent years."
The company transported goods across the UK, Ireland and Europe and had been operating for over 40 years.
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