January 2009

INDUSTRY CONFIRMS WORST FEARS

The Quarry Products Association of Northern Ireland have confirmed the worst fears of the quarry, concrete and roads industry in Northern Ireland that this is indeed the worst operating environment faced by the whole Construction Industry in Northern Ireland in living memory. The Association who represents 95% of the quarry products industry in Northern Ireland supplying aggregates, concrete, asphalt, cement and bitumen to the NI Construction Industry have confirmed that the industry lost approximately 1244 employees in 2008, that’s just over the 25% of the total work force and that it was more than likely more jobs will be lost in 2009.

Gordon Best, Regional Director QPANI, said “Obviously as the main supply industry into local construction and with significant exports to the Irish Republic and Great Britain our members have been hit badly by the economic downturn. Company owners and Directors have faced the very difficult task of having to lay off people, many of them friends, who they have worked with for as much as 30 years. It is not an easy task at the best of times but when you have to sit at the other side of a table to someone you know, whose partners know each other or whose kids go to the same school as yours, its hard to do and difficult to take”

Mr Best added that the current situation shows no sign of improving in the short term, indeed QPANI projections show that a further 250 jobs could be lost by the end of March 2009, mainly due to the end of the Farm Nutrient Scheme and the construction on concrete slurry tanks and the chronic lack of work within the roads maintenance industry,  “ We know that currently there is an Northern Ireland investment strategy and we welcome the fact that there are major capital projects on schools, hospitals roads and water infrastructure in the pipeline some of which we will see later this year but most will not happen until after 2012. What do we do in the meantime? There are now even question marks over the financing of some of these major projects”

Mr Best paid tribute to the innovative and forward thinking of many of the QPANI member companies. “People in our industry have come through difficult times before and they will come through these ones as well. There is real anger and frustration at present being felt by workers in the private sector because they feel decisions to protect and create jobs in Northern Ireland that could be taken by the public sector are not being taken”. Whether it be in a Planning decision to allow development that will create jobs or a decision to temporarily set aside financial accounting regulations to allow the bringing forward of work schemes from one financial year to another to preserve peoples livelihoods. The bottom line is our public sector decision makers must make jobs and the economy the priority, not ticking the box of complying with a policy or ensuring that every “i” is doted and every “t” crossed on a balance sheet. I am afraid the objective of the NI Executive, as outlined by the First Minister, “to support and grow the private sector which has for too long been constrained by the size and influence of the public sector” (end quote) is still as far off as it ever was”.

EMPLOYMENT LEVELS SURVEY FOR JANUARY 2009

These figures are based on an 81% return then pro rata to the recognised total industry employment as at 1st January 2008.

Summary

Total jobs lost in the quarry products sector in 2008 was approximately 1244

Anticipated further job lossess in 2009 is approximately 227 mainly from roads maintenance companies due to lack of work and concrete companies after the end of the Farm Nutrient Management Scheme.

ENDS

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For further information please contact Gordon Best, Regional Director, Quarry Products Association, Nutts Corner Business Park, Crumlin BT29 4SR

Tel 02890824078 Fax 028 90825103 email info@qpani.org  mobile 07876 136929