Border Telegraph | News | Jobs could be pulled as credit crunch bites

Saturday, 26th July, 2008

Published: Wednesday, 14th May, 2008 09:00

Jobs could be pulled as credit crunch bites

By Ally McGilvray

Comments (0)

Print Article

Image related to story, see caption or article text

The Peri-dent factory at Tweedbank.

UP to 60 jobs are expected to be axed at one of the biggest employers in the Borders.

Peri-dent, which employs more than 200 workers at Tweedbank Industrial Estate, near Galashiels, confirmed it was in talks with union bosses over the potential job losses this week.

It is understood a downturn in orders is to blame for the proposed cuts at one of the largest manufacturers of dental floss in Europe.

However, it is feared the company which produces oral care products for customers in over 30 countries, may not be the only local company to wield the axe as the credit crunch bites.

Scottish Borders Council leader David Parker this week told the Border Telegraph: “We have heard that there may be potential job losses (at Peri-dent) but they are not talking about closing down their operations in Tweedbank.

“A number of companies, especially those supplying the retail sector, are suffering from a downturn in business because of the slowdown nationwide and I suspect we are going to see one or two more shed jobs in the Borders over the coming weeks and months.”

And he added: “If that does happen we will immediately move to put in place our redundancy support team to ensure workers are given all the advice and information they need to secure future employment.”

If jobs are lost at the dental floss firm it would be a devastating blow for the industrial estate at Tweedbank which has already seen the closure of world-famous clothing firm J Barbour & Sons with the loss of 46 jobs earlier this year.

Peri-dent, which opened its current premises in 1994, took on extra staff and extended its factory in recent years following a boom in business.

Its product portfolio includes dental floss and tapes, premium floss products, dental sticks, interdental brushes, breath freshener sprays and tongue cleaners.

A Peri-dent spokesperson said: “We are consulting with the Unite union and cannot make any further comment at this time.”

Unite’s regional industrial organiser Tony Trench said: “At this stage we are trying to set a date for the start of the official consultation.”

Comments