One of the largest producers of fish and seafood in the UK has announced a £5m investment to expand its site in Arbroath, which should save more than 300 food production jobs in Scotland.
Dawnfresh Seafoods has commenced a minimum 45-day consultation with staff at its Uddingston today.
It is attempting to encourage its production teams to move to the expanded site in Arbroath, with the Uddingston site planned to close in mid-2022.
Dawnfresh currently has 230 permanent production staff in Uddingston and 180 in Arbroath, with plans for 150 new permanent production staff in Angus.
The company said any reduction in overall headcount is likely to result from people choosing not to apply for a new role and a slimmed down management structure.
No current jobs in Arbroath are at risk under the plans.
Dawnfresh is offering a relocation allowance, access to local area support from Angus Council, and protection of current pay and conditions.
For those who do not wish to make the move, it is engaging with employees, unions, skills agencies and North and South Lanarkshire Council s to help people find new jobs in the area.
The company is also seeking to work with government and other agencies to find an alternative use of the current site in Uddingston to retain employment.
The two specialised production facilities in Arbroath and Uddingston handle more than 350 fresh, frozen, marinated, smoked and other seafood lines.
As a result of the investment in Arbroath, the company aiming to grow the tonnage of seafood it processes by 30% over the next five years and increase the product lines it delivers.
Dawnfresh aims to have the new site fully operational in the middle of next year, allowing the company to continue to deliver seafood for UK and international customers.
Raleigh Salvesen, managing director, Dawnfresh Seafoods, said: “For the remainder of this year and until the move next year, our operations at Uddingston will very much continue as normal.
“The plan to expand facilities at Arbroath will provide a platform for future growth and help Dawnfresh to adapt to a changing and highly competitive business sector – this move is critical if we are to meet our objective of keeping seafood production jobs in Scotland.
“It will be sad to close our factory in Uddingston, but we are incentivising our team to join us on this journey and hope many of our experienced and skilled staff join us in Arbroath.”
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