Waterford Wedgewood Group Saved - Report

kraggy

Not sure if ye know about this?

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Business/Waterford-Wedgwood-Is-Sold-To-US-Equity-Firm-In-A-Deal-Saving-More-Than-A-Thousand-Jobs/Article/200903415249920?lpos=Business_First_Home_Article_Teaser_Region_0&lid=ARTICLE_15249920_Waterford_Wedgwood_Is_Sold_To_US_Equity_Firm_In_A_Deal_Saving_More_Than_A_Thousand_Jobs

Psychedelic

Just saw it on Yahoo! News - I just assumed it was bad reporting on their part - surely all the jobs haven't been saved? Hopefully it's true though.

leitrim lad

hope its true , people gave their lives to that place to end up with nothing at the end of it

south

http://breakingnews.ie/business/eyaueycwcwoj/

i don't think all the jobs have been saved in waterford. something like 180 i thought i heard on the radio today

Sully

Bad reporting I assume. It was yesterday or the day before I think news broke about the sale but it wasn't great news for Waterford really. Some jobs were saved on a 6month basis, more winding down staff. The furnaces have been turned off. It was covered on RTE news, showed two americans wanting to see it before it closed. Heard again today about efforts being made to try save things locally tho.

EDIT: Was reported on TodayFM Monday afternoon with interviews taking place. Furnaces have been turned off, and its only short term staff kept on. Covered by RTE that evening with SE correspondent doing a piece on it. Interviewed staff who came to see it on its final day I believe. Best article so far: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/7967129.stm

Psychedelic

figured as much...seems like once the furnaces are out, that's the death knell for our beloved Glass....i'm sure nearly everyone here either worked there or had a family/friend who worked there - it was engrained in the social fabric of our identity so it is a massive psychological blow to us all....but hey let's looks at the silver lining here.....we have WIT to be hopefully given university status and TSSG already winning huge funding for R&D, and we can develop the pharma & high tech industries in the future so maybe we won't have to rely on the Glass as the be-all and end-all of ambitions for Waterford people.....just trying to stay positive...obviously the loss of the Glass is a loss of our heritage but there's no point wallowing in the mire, let's create a new heritage and a new identity...

abouttobebanned

They mean Waterford Wedgewood which of course employs staff internationally, and not just our modest plant in Kilbarry. The thread title should really be changed I think.

Aquos76

Title of thread changed as its to do with the Wedgewood group which Waterford crystal is part of. Previous title could gave the impression that all of the factory and business services in Kilbarry have been saved, which is certainly not the case.

road_high

Does this mean Waterford Crystal will no longer be actually made in Waterford anymore? Product produced elsewhere will be Waterford in name only now I understand? Sad outcome indeed.

But I would echo what others said in relation to being positive. 2009 will be great for Waterford and the SE in other ways with the bypass finally opening and much of the M9 coming on stream too.

Sosa

mfitzy wrote: »

Does this mean Waterford Crystal will no longer be actually made in Waterford anymore?

Yep ...only high end pieces ( i.e...trophys.one offs )

They have been outsourcing for years,just now its going to be 95%

road_high

Sosa wrote: »

Yep ...only high end pieces ( i.e...trophys.one offs )

They have been outsourcing for years,just now its going to be 95%

Yes, my da was saying as much. That most of the bread and butter lines were being made in places like Slovakia for years now.

It employed 1,000s of people until relatively recently; what have a lot of these former staff ended up doing since?