First Minister’s assurances over Ortak

Following the news that administrators have been unable to find a buyer for  jewellery company, Ortak, Orkney’s MSP Liam McArthur raised the issue during First Minister’s Questions today.

Mr McArthur called for support to be made available to the staff affected and also to facilitate any reasonable bid that might be made for some or all of the manufacturing roles, currently carried out at Ortak’s factory on the Hatston Estate in Kirkwall.  In response, Mr Salmond agreed that both would be provided by the Scottish government at its agencies.

Commenting afterwards, Mr McArthur said: “As a result of the announcement yesterday, around 115 jobs are under threat, including more than two dozen in my own constituency.

“The coming days and weeks will be full of uncertainty for those directly affected and I therefore welcome the commitment from the First Minister that every effort will be made to support the staff directly affected.

“I was also pleased to hear confirmation that the Scottish government and its agencies stand ready to facilitate any bid to retain all or some of the manufacturing jobs, currently based at the Hatston Estate.  The loss of these jobs would be particularly keenly felt in Orkney, and I very much hope that, even at this late stage, a buyer can be found who can take these on.

“I will continue to work closely with the enterprise minister, HIE and others to secure as positive an outcome as possible.  Meantime, I hope the response from the First Minister today will offer at least some reassurance to those experiencing real anxiety about their futures.”