Jobs Boost for Waterford City??

PremierDeise

Possible Jobs boost for Waterford City.

Doing the rounds on Twitter last night.....

Damien Tiernan @damienrte
Possibly good news story in Waterford city tomorrow at 10:30am


Damien Tiernan @damienrte
Story tomorrow might be good for jobs at last! At least is that what I am hearing.




Anyone hear anything in the pipeline?

Professey Chin

He said earlier it's not a jobs announcement but can set a precedent which could mean future jobs.
Or something.

Dicky Pride

IDA are to build a 25,000 sq Ft. State of the Art Premises in Waterford at Butlerstown in the hope of attracting business to the City.

From Gary Wyse

PremierDeise

Didn't Schivo move into the old Talk Talk unit? Possibly that?

Smiley Burnett

UNITE taking a case to Europe regarding the manufacture of Waterford Cystal outside of Waterford....

PremierDeise

Ah here it is:

http://www.rte.ie/news/2013/0124/364253-waterford-crystal-legal/

deiseabu

Jobs boost? Knowing the characters involved in UNITE all they will do is destroy the great work that has been done to restore Waterford Crystal as a critical tourist attraction.

O Riain

deiseabu wrote: »

Jobs boost? Knowing the characters involved in UNITE all they will do is destroy the great work that has been done to restore Waterford Crystal as a critical tourist attraction.

But they are absolutley dead right.

PremierDeise

If this was worth going about then why was it not done when the announcement was made to close the factory 3 years ago?

deiseabu

How do you make that out? Waterford Crystal is a brand name given to a product manufactured from materials sourced from all over the world. It is not something made from natural ingredients sourced in the area, such as the Champagne and Parma Ham examples that they cited, so their supposed precedents are very tenuous. The boat has long sailed on keeping Waterford Crystal manufacturing solely in the area, we need to look at ways of nurturing what we have, not take actions that threaten it. UNITE and Mr. Kelly its appointed mouthpiece like to rabble rouse, usually causing more harm than good.

Professey Chin

PremierDeise wrote: »

If this was worth going about then why was it not done when the announcement was made to close the factory 3 years ago?

No precedent then but it's been successfully done with champagne and parma ham since then

realworld82

sad to see the Waterford tradition of biting of the hand the feeds is still alive and well, not even the worst recession in living memory and 25% unemployment in our city will stop these knuckle draggers in Unite from trying to jeopardise what has been a fantastic boost for our city,
It is no wonder the IDA can't attract any multi nationals to Waterford with this kind of coverage making the news.

Kracken

there are a lot of situations like Waterford glass, most design houses have their products manufactured overseas and then either packaged or tagged in their main warehouse.

This seems to do for them, so therefore I would interested to see if the same is being done here.

dzilla

In fairnesd i have no time for unite and mouthpiece but i would love to see this manufacturing back in the city

Saying that a whole different management structure with lean mannufacturing practices and more efficient approaces to pay, union representation

But i couldnt see thay happening with Unite still involved

allthedoyles

If this is what D Tiernan had in mind when he posted on twitter , he did'nt show much fore-sight / fore-thought .

Could be at least 3 years before the court cases are over ........and then we will probably have Slovenia , Czech Republic and Germany taking it to court , as they will be anxious to hold on to the business .

Deise Vu

The idea is good but I agree with the posters who are worried that it is a union proposing it. In my view the demise of the original Crsytal factory was caused by a combination of crazy union demands and initially weak management followed by ill-informed management pursuing a a misguided strategy of cheap manufacturing and chasing volume.

In an admittedly very unscientific poll (my own experience!) there is a huge appetite for good crystal made in Waterford and a potential to charge premium prices. Instead products manufactured in low-cost locations are labelled 'Waterford' and people feel they are being ripped off. I cannot understand how someone as supposedly clued-in as Tony O'Reilly missed this and why the current owners are pursuing it with even more enthusiasm.

Given our current economic circumstances I think there is a huge potential to grow the brand again and at a low cost. I really hope someone sees the opportunity before all the skills are are lost forever.

hardybuck

Kracken wrote: »

there are a lot of situations like Waterford glass, most design houses have their products manufactured overseas and then either packaged or tagged in their main warehouse.

This seems to do for them, so therefore I would interested to see if the same is being done here.

While I have only glanced at this on the news, I'd say their argument would be that Waterford Crystal is a unique product different from other crystal or glass products, and unique to the county of Waterford.

Essentially Champagne is only a sparkling wine which is made in the Champagne region, Parma ham is just a particular style of ham made in the Parma region. You can make similar products elsewhere, but are not allowed to use the brand name if you like.

hardybuck

Just as I'm thinking, if the foreign manufactured product wasn't allowed to use the Waterford Crystal brand, they'd still continue to make it under a different name.

If this happened, Waterford Crystal would suddenly vanish from the market. If this happens the brand would eventually die off and what is left of the tourist based business on Parnell St could be in serious jeopardy.

Risky...

Partizan

Pamela Scott gone into examinership.

They have a store here in Waterford in Georges Court.

http://www.pamelascott.ie/content/PS%20Waterford%20Reopns/475

http://www.midwestradio.ie/mwr/index.php/news/12678-pamela-scott-store-in-sligo-one-of-12-gone-into-examinership.html

hardybuck

Partizan wrote: »

Pamela Scott gone into examinership.

They have a store here in Waterford in Georges Court.

http://www.pamelascott.ie/content/PS%20Waterford%20Reopns/475

http://www.midwestradio.ie/mwr/index.php/news/12678-pamela-scott-store-in-sligo-one-of-12-gone-into-examinership.html[/QUOTE]

12 of their 24 stores have gone into examinership. The Waterford store was not one of the 12.

jad2007

I would imagine that Damien was referring to the announcment of the IDA development, I doubt he thinks of the unite action as positive news for Waterford.

dzilla

jad2007 wrote: »

I would imagine that Damien was referring to the announcment of the IDA development, I doubt he thinks of the unite action as positive news for Waterford.

Well he tweeted it this morning ad he promised but ackniwledged no jobs may come of it as of yet

jad2007

His tweet this morning mentioned nothing about Unite / Waterford Crystal. He said annoucement to be made at 10.30. Paudie Coffey was on WLR talking about the IDA development this morning. Im guessing thats what he was refering to.

dzilla

It does, go to his twitter and he has about 5 tweets about unite and the glass from 4 hours ago. I wouldnt have said it if i hadn't seen it

BlaasForRafa

allthedoyles wrote: »

If this is what D Tiernan had in mind when he posted on twitter , he did'nt show much fore-sight / fore-thought .

Could be at least 3 years before the court cases are over ........and then we will probably have Slovenia , Czech Republic and Germany taking it to court , as they will be anxious to hold on to the business .

If they want to make crystal in Slovenia, then call it Slovenia crystal, if they want to make it in the Czech republic then call it Czech Crystal or Prague crystal or whatever.

A lot of Waterford crystal is sold to irish-americans thinking that it is from "the ould country". By calling it Waterford you have a reasonable expectation that it is actually from Waterford, they are duping people and selling a product under false pretenses.

Its the same with Kilmeaden cheddar which was taken away from Kilmeaden by those bolloxes in Avonmore a few years ago. I guess "Ballyragget Cheddar" wouldn't sound as good in marketing campaigns...

allthedoyles

jad2007 wrote: »

His tweet this morning mentioned nothing about Unite / Waterford Crystal. He said annoucement to be made at 10.30. Paudie Coffey was on WLR talking about the IDA development this morning. Im guessing thats what he was refering to.

Damien has acknowledged on Twitter that the story at 10.30am this morning was not a jobs announcement ,

SubBusted

Didn't Waterford Crystal staff travel to Eastern Europe back in the 1990s and teach people there how to make/cut crystal? It's their own fault if that's true.

Is this not the big news for Waterford today?

http://www.independent.ie/business/commercial-property/talktalk-waterford-call-centre-sold-for-500000-3363376.html

BlaasForRafa

SubBusted wrote: »

Didn't Waterford Crystal staff travel to Eastern Europe back in the 1990s and teach people there how to make/cut crystal? It's their own fault if that's true.

Is this not the big news for Waterford today?

http://www.independent.ie/business/commercial-property/talktalk-waterford-call-centre-sold-for-500000-3363376.html

Schivo won't employ nearly as many people as TalkTalk did. Don't get me wrong, congrats to schivo and its workers but in terms of employment it'll probably be small beer in comparison to whats been lost.

Plus the interior of the building will have to be gutted of the pods, desks and communications equipment set up for a call centre. There is a fortune in copper wiring under the floor in the building which will probably just be scrapped.

KevIRL

BlaasForRafa wrote: »

Schivo won't employ nearly as many people as TalkTalk did. Don't get me wrong, congrats to schivo and its workers but in terms of employment it'll probably be small beer in comparison to whats been lost.

Plus the interior of the building will have to be gutted of the pods, desks and communications equipment set up for a call centre. There is a fortune in copper wiring under the floor in the building which will probably just be scrapped.

The old tech support side of the building is already gutted and looks like an empty factory floor now. The other side doesnt appear to be part of the short term plans for Schivo.

Max Powers

my 2 cents, i doubt the talk talk schivo building was the big news, thats an existing local company moving premises. I can only presume its the IDA thing.

How dare they have Waterford crystal jobs in the Czech republic....hang on wasnt it a Czech man who started it. I think the unite proposal is complete lunacy, deep in a financial and jobs crisis, a new venture trying to establish itself and a TU thinks its the time to bite the hand....maybe they will take all their work abroad. How in God's name does he think Irish wages can compete with other Crystal. Heard the TU man the radio saying, back when all the trouble started that they put a case to the government to save the company, all it would of cost is 38million, pure idiocy to prospose something like that

mccarthy37

Max Powers wrote: »

my 2 cents, i doubt the talk talk schivo building was the big news, thats an existing local company moving premises. I can only presume its the IDA thing.

How dare they have Waterford crystal jobs in the Czech republic....hang on wasnt it a Czech man who started it. I think the unite proposal is complete lunacy, deep in a financial and jobs crisis, a new venture trying to establish itself and a TU thinks its the time to bite the hand....maybe they will take all their work abroad. How in God's name does he think Irish wages can compete with other Crystal. Heard the TU man the radio saying, back when all the trouble started that they put a case to the government to save the company, all it would of cost is 38million, pure idiocy to prospose something like that

When Waterford Wedgewood went in to receivership the Wedgewood family bought back their old company and saved almost all of the jobs in England. They were very critical of the way the name was cheapened and the way the company was ran and said both products had a niche market and should have remained so. Today you cannot produce Wedgewood china outside of England the product is in the higher end of the market and that's where they intend to stay. Seems like at least Wedgewood got things right.

jennygirl

the place is called "House of Waterford" - does that cover crystal made in other countries and sold in Waterford?

SubBusted

What happens if the Waterfords in Australia, Canada, England, USA, Jamaica, and bleedin' Zimbabwe decide to manufacture Waterford Crystal? What can UNITE do then?

WilliamG

I think it had to do with the Glanbia announcement of a factory in Bellview

Mooley22

Damien Tiernan put up a tweet the night before saying about the announcement being made at 10.30am. At 10.30 am the next morning he put up about the unite case about Waterford Crystal.That was obviously the announcement he was on about.I even tweeted him before he released that asking was it to do with the new IDA building and he wrote back saying no.Hope thats clears up some confusion

Cabaal

Mooley22 wrote: »

Damien Tiernan put up a tweet the night before saying about the announcement being made at 10.30am. At 10.30 am the next morning he put up about the unite case about Waterford Crystal.That was obviously the announcement he was on about.I even tweeted him before he released that asking was it to do with the new IDA building and he wrote back saying no.Hope thats clears up some confusion

How exactly is a case by unite against Waterford Crystal a job boost for Waterford?

SubBusted

Because if the ruling goes through the Waterford Crystal made abroad will either have to cease production or change their name. The only Waterford Crystal made will be sourced from Ireland and demand will increase giving more locals their jobs back.

Cabaal

SubBusted wrote: »

Because if the ruling goes through the Waterford Crystal made abroad will either have to cease production or change their name. The only Waterford Crystal made will be sourced from Ireland and demand will increase giving more locals their jobs back.

Thats a pretty big assumption, its also a very long way off.

It could take months or years before there is an outcome to such a case due to appeals etc, as such its hardly accurate to announce it as a job boost to Waterford now.

We're talking about Waterford Crystal as a brand name, the fact that many of the employee's in Waterford actually traveled to other countrys and trained people shows they were more then aware products were not all being made in Waterford, all the staff would have been aware of this.

To turn around now because it didn't go there way seems rather silly and childish, the time for action was when they first started outsourcing any level of work outside of Waterford.

SubBusted

I know that and agree but that's the logic behind it. They should have done that years ago not now. Even if it happens they will probably bring the East Europeans over here to work for lower wages.

dugger

I remember reading a case study 15+ years ago about Tony O'Riely, I think he brought the board of directors to bloomingdales in NY for a weekend to watch people purchasing Waterford Crystal, After the weekend it was O'Rielys view that the crsytal no longer needed to be manufactued in Waterford as not 1 person asked the question when buying it"is this made in Waterford City" So as far back as the 90's it made business sense to move to where there was cheaper labour and it is still the same today,

mccarthy37

dugger wrote: »

I remember reading a case study 15+ years ago about Tony O'Riely, I think he brought the board of directors to bloomingdales in NY for a weekend to watch people purchasing Waterford Crystal, After the weekend it was O'Rielys view that the crsytal no longer needed to be manufactued in Waterford as not 1 person asked the question when buying it"is this made in Waterford City" So as far back as the 90's it made business sense to move to where there was cheaper labour and it is still the same today,

I would imagine they were buying the product in the belief that it was made in Waterford.
.I wonder how many would buy it now if the country of origin was on the label.
Quality product: Waterford Crystal. Made in the Far East. doesn't really sound right does it.
I used to love buying Levi's jeans especially when the label stated Made in San Francisco. Pick up a pair now and you will find they are probably made in Mexico. I don't like buying copies and would not part with my money for a phoney product.Two vastly different products but two old companies with a proud tradition once upon a time. As for Tony O'Reilly I wouldn't wipe me a*se with the Independent especially now as it has been turned onto a tabloid.

leduke

where is kilmeaden cheddar made because it's certainly not in kilmeaden? could unite get the cheese factory to reopen? simple answer .... no!!

Jason Todd

I'm thinking of taking a case against Kentucky Fried Chicken because last time I had it I'm pretty sure the chicken didn't taste like it was manufactured in southeastern America. :rolleyes:

mike65

dugger wrote: »

I remember reading a case study 15+ years ago about Tony O'Riely, I think he brought the board of directors to bloomingdales in NY for a weekend to watch people purchasing Waterford Crystal, After the weekend it was O'Rielys view that the crsytal no longer needed to be manufactued in Waterford as not 1 person asked the question when buying it"is this made in Waterford City" So as far back as the 90's it made business sense to move to where there was cheaper labour and it is still the same today,

I remember that study, it wasn't that nobody made a connection but it was VERY small - about 5%, I suspect more people reckoned it was made in Waterford, Connecticut.

mccarthy37

leduke wrote: »

where is kilmeaden cheddar made because it's certainly not in kilmeaden? could unite get the cheese factory to reopen? simple answer .... no!!

There's moves about to make Swiss cheese there. Lets see how that would go.

leduke

mccarthy37 wrote: »

There's moves about to make Swiss cheese there. Lets see how that would go.

i think that story has some holes in it!!!!!!!!