Job losses put even modest hopes in doubt

A woman bringing up a child on her own, a newly-married couple living in a mobile home while they save a deposit for a house, a young woman whose husband has already had to emigrate to save money to buy a home: this is the human face of the 770 job losses at Fruit of the Loom in Donegal.

An advertisement for Donegal tourism sells the county with the slogan: "Up here it's different." It is true in many respects and Donegal people would not want to change it. But the slogan also holds good in terms of the economic difficulties that people take for granted.

It is practically a tradition in many rural and coastal areas in the county that work is short-term, insecure or seasonal. A number of employees said this week they were "grateful" that Fruit of the Loom jobs had lasted as long as they did.

Many people in these areas cannot buy a home in the normal way - opting instead to get smaller loans and build a house in stages rather than trying to get a mortgage. It is not uncommon for married men to continue the age-old tradition of going away to work when seasonal jobs wind up. Apart from the rapid expansion of Letterkenny, there is scant evidence of a booming economy. The county has the highest rate of unemployment in the State and one of the longest waiting lists for public housing.

The bad news had started to sink in yesterday for 165 workers at the Milford plant, which will close completely in February. Amid a series of stories of plans and dreams shattered, it was clear that people were finding it difficult enough to get by even before they lost their jobs. Even modest aspirations now seem unattainable.

Ms Fiona McLaughlin's only consolation was that she had already bought Christmas presents for her three-year-old son before this week's bad news. She has worked for Fruit of the Loom for 10 years and is bringing up her son alone since her husband died in tragic circumstances.

Ms McLaughlin (27) wants to get another job but feels she stands a poor chance. "I have to turn around now and start all over again. I left school young and went straight into Fruit of the Loom, so I don't have any qualifications. I have never done anything else."

Both Mr James McFadden (22) and his wife Teresa have worked at the Milford plant for more than four years. They had been planning to start building a house in January but Mr McFadden says that "is out the window now". He adds: "We'll lose the car as well. I won't be able to pay for it on the dole."

Most of the workers in each of the Fruit of the Loom plants are in similar circumstances.

Ms Kathleen O'Donnell has two children who started college in September. "Where am I going to get £200 a week to put them through university now? Their future will be affected by this too. And, at my age, there is no hope of me getting a job when there are so many young people on the dole," she says.

Ms Maureen Vaughan returned from London with her husband six years ago. She and her six-month-old son are now living with her aunt while he returned to London to work. During the summer, when her husband finds it easier to get work as a painter at home in Donegal, they live in a mobile home.

"If it wasn't for the baby, I'd go back to London in the morning myself. There's nothing here for me now."

Workers feel they have many reasons to be angry at Fruit of the Loom and the Irish-based managers in Donegal. They say they were never given straight answers, but were left "hanging on", uncertain about the future of their jobs. The fact that they are being laid off temporarily over Christmas has increased their anger. This frustration boiled over when managers visited the plant on Wednesday to inform workers of the shutdown. Ms Margaret Coyle, who says her half-built house will not now be finished for a long time, says managers patronised the workers by saying their "loyalty" was appreciated. "It was like patting a child on the head. This company doesn't regard us as people any more, but as a cost," she adds.

There were mixed emotions in the plants this week. There was a general feeling that workers had been badly treated, but some, like Mr Terry O'Donnell in the Raphoe plant said he wanted to look at things positively. He has worked in the factory for nine years and was in charge of maintenance. "We got nearly 10 good years with good money. At least I have my house half-paid for."

He has worked in the textile industry for 19 years and says the priority now should be finding alternative work for Donegal. His wife, Valerie, who works in Donegal Shirts, is also to be laid off over Christmas.

"I just hope the [jobs] task force can bring in a hi-tech industry and maybe we could get training in that. There is no point going back to textiles. It is only common sense that it is finished. Companies will always go somewhere else when they can get people to work for less and you can't blame them for that," he said.

In both Milford and Raphoe, workers were taking hope from the quality of the Fruit of the Loom facilities, which are to be sold on as part of the company's deal with IDA Ireland. Ms Ursula McConigley said they would lobby hard to make sure the Government found other investors. "We are not going to take this lying down; we are not prepared to go out and stand on the dole. We are going to fight to try to bring jobs here. We want to work and we are going to make sure that we are not forgotten."