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Saturday, 31st July 2010

MP confronted by angry Firth Rixson factory workers

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Published Date: 08 March 2010
WEST Derbyshire MP Patrick McLoughlin was confronted by angry factory workers waving placards at a meeting in Darley Dale.
Around 100 people including residents and employees from Firth Rixson filled a meeting roomin theWhitworth Institute to discuss the future of the forging firm.

Concerned workers, who had written to their MP, took part in a heated debate while protesters holding Save Our Jobs banners gathered outside the Institute in a last-ditch attempt to enlist support to keep the factory open.

The company is fghting a noise abatement order issued on behalf of Derbyshire Dales District Council, following complaints from Darley Dale Residents Action Group.

Bosses say working restrictions imposed lastmonth could force
the factory to close.

Logistics manager at the firm John Collins, who has set up a group calle
Help Save Jobs in Darley Dale on social networking site Facebook which has over 1,300 members, said: "We were very pleased with the turn out.

"It got a bit emotional and heated at times but overall it was a reasonable peaceful meeting and demonstration.

"We will just have to wait and see if he is a man of his word and stand up for his constituents and make things right."

Several shopkeepers in Darley Dale have put signs in their shop window stating We Support Firth Rixson.

Mr Collins added: "The local community is really behind us and rightly so. If Firth Rixson goes where else is there for people to work round here. Will this be another factory to go? The council seems to be trying to turn this area in to a rich persons holiday home."

Mr McLoughlin has now agreed to intervene in the row between the company
and the council.

He said: "I called the meeting because I have had letters from workers at Firth Rixson. I well understand how frustrated they feel. The work force is very concerned for their jobs."

He added: "We have seen enough business go out of the Derbyshire Dales.

"I think we have come to a critical moment and I hope an agreement can be reached between both sides. If you consider how much money Firth Rixson put in to the economy over a year it is very
signi?cant."

A spokesman for the district council said they were still in negotiations with Firth Rixson but no agreement had yet been reached.

He added: "Like the Residents' Action Group, the district council continues to believe a reasonable solution is achievable without impacting on jobs at the Darley Dale plant."

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  • Last Updated: 15 March 2010 9:53 AM
  • Source: n/a
  • Location: Matlock
 
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1

UKpress,

Local to Darley Dale 08/03/2010 12:50:28
Never in my life have a ever seen such poor and very biased reporting.The paper is a disgrace. seems to me the more trouble the Matlock Mercury stirs up the more potential sales of this sub-standard rag.Well I wouldn't have this pile of dross if it were free.
2

Suzie J,

Wirksworth 08/03/2010 13:36:51
Quite right. It's not even got the facts right. The meeting was NOT at the hotel, and there were about 65 people in the room, not 200. Did the Mercury bother to go and see for itself? If they had done so, they might (or then again, might not) have reported that Patrick offered and arranged the meeting. Most of the people present had NOT written to their MP, preferring to post on Facebook, often using aliases. The Mercury should be trying to be positive about finding a solution, not just winding everyone up and making more drama out of a very difficult situation.
3

Yorkie21,

08/03/2010 19:51:27
I must admit this seems to be contradict what is on the Facebook group and what i saw. Explanation from the Mercury?
4

Amanda Hatfield, Editor,

Matlock 12/03/2010 17:23:35
Thank you all for you comments but there is really little point in shooting the messenger.

The story above is written using facts given to us and is in no way the opinion of anyone at the Matlock Mercury.

There is no mention of the hotel as a venue or 200 people attending and it clearly states that some of the workers wrote to their MP - not everyone who was at the meeting.

I think the pictures speak for themselves by showing that there were workers there who confronted the MP with placards.

This is not biased reporting and I find the insults written by UKpress very offensive - but unfortunately it is something I have become used to over the years.

The staff at the Mercury work long hours to provide the community with coverage of what is going on locally and to give them somewhere to comment on important issues such as this.

It is not our job to find a solution - it is our job to give both sides a chance to air their views and that will always remain the case while there is a free press in Britain.

Amanda Hatfield, editor
5

UKpress,

Local to Darley Dale 13/03/2010 17:16:21
Amanda
You say the story is based on facts given to you?
Well they are not facts!! Which makes you and your reporters look very silly indeed.If I were to have told you that the Manchester riot squad were there you would have reported that as fact?
If you work such long hours then they should be spent more productively in portraying the situation in a more un-biased and FACTUAL way,and after all you will get paid for it.
I would like to apologise if I offended you and your staff but I won't as your reporting has offended me personally and all those local residents that are effected by this noise. After all it has been proven in a UK court of Law that it is a statutory nuisance and Firth Rixson who spent more than £700,000 appealing it lost the case on all counts.
The attenuation of the said offending Press (5600t) could have been easily been remedied with this money and jobs could have been saved.
The truth of the matter is FR are moving the business to their new Factory in the USA and needed a scapegoat and the residents and council fitted the bill nicely.
Print this as FACT!!!
6

Local Resident in Darley Dale,

Darley Dale 15/03/2010 17:57:13
Amanda

UKpress is writing libellous comments on your website. Nowhere is it written down that "...FR are moving the business to their new Factory in the USA..." as this is simply not the case. Matlock Mercury has already removed several of his comments due to his unfounded accusations.

Clearly UKpress has deceived himself that his prejudices are fact when they are just his prejudices.
7

UKpress,

Local to Darley Dale 15/03/2010 19:40:30
Local Resident in Darley Dale,
As you are so well informed please tell all how you know that FR on not moving the business to the USA?
My reasoning is that in the summing up of the court judgement the judge said that he would not give the company (FR) a two year moratorium to move the Business to the USA?
Why would FR ask for that?
It's in black and white and is a public document so please help yourself to a read of it before being so vocal.
All the best
UKpress
8

UKpress,

Local to Darley Dale 15/03/2010 20:09:09
here is the judgement
http://www.derbyshiredales.gov.uk/Images/Firth%20Rixson%20judgement_tcm19-133805.PDF
If you look at page 21 and comment 5.
Or is this libellous?
9

Local Resident in Darley Dale,

15/03/2010 23:14:30
Mr UKpress, Thanks for the link to the judgement, I already have a copy.

You wrote above "...FR ARE moving the press...".

That comment is libellous as there is no evidence which states they are.

Any company facing significant operating restrictions would consider all options; investing more funds to attenuate the problem, resourcing a second press to install at Darley to allow validation time of the existing parts on the new press, time to resource a second press to be installed in Georgia, time to build safety stock to transfer the business, or being able to operate the press with limited time restrictions to allow further investment in the Darley site.

ALL options must be considered and requests made to allow the company as a whole to meet their ongoing financial commitments. Fail to plan leads to failure; don't put all your eggs in one basket!!

Page 21 section 5 is one section out of a whole document. I could point to sections 4.3, 4.4, & 4.5 which mentions the need to remain profitable, the unprecedented amount of work coming to Darley Dale requiring the unrestricted operation of the press going forwards, and stating the closure of the site was a real possibility due the restrictions.

At this time the company has no plans or desires to move the press or the business to America. Significant capital investment is being made into the site which no company would do when planning to move as it is a waste of money (why would install a new kitchen and bathroom in a house you are leaving??). I am not saying they won't in the future (as the appeal will take over a year), neither of us has a crystal ball!

The best thing anyone can do is to read the judgement themselves and let them make their own minds up on the issue without being given prejudicial comments.
10

UKpress,

Local to Darley Dale 16/03/2010 05:01:45
Local Resident in Darley Dale,
You say I wrote "...FR ARE moving the press...".
Sorry but I do not see that,I feel it must be your very blinkered view that is getting in the way?
I do not think the 5600t press will be going to Georgia,however I have a hunch that it will be going to Sheffield as this is where the attenuation platform that Firth Rixson have already bought is stored or so I am lead to believe from a source that works at FR Darley Dale.
To say you have a copy of the judgement astounds me that you believe that you think that the working time restrictions will effect the business when they can press 24 hours a day parts which need 60% pressure and the remainder of the time limited to the hours they do already.
The main costs involved to the council in the court case were FR dragging everything into the battle (which they LOST) and therefore racking up costs in the hope that this would win them some points,it didn't but it cost the tax payers a lot of money.
With the £700,000 FR spent on appeal wouldn't it have been more beneficial to do some attenuation work on the press? it is not that they don't have the time as they have been working very little over the last 12 months and could easily have done the work.
Or is it that Oakhill (USA) have no interest in investing at Darley Dale ?
Mr Local Resident in Darley Dale,One more question as you seem to have the answers to hand,How much have Oakhill spent on attenuating the press since buying the company in 2007? I would have thought it would have been a priority as they bought the business with a known local issue. I have the answer to hand myself do you?
All the best.
Guessing you live out of earshot of this press!
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