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A MAJOR campaign has been launched to save the iconic Cromer Crab Company plant in North Norfolk from closure.
It is being spearheaded by the local MP and the Unite Union which has many members working at the factory. Last week The Seafood Company (part of the same group as Young's Seafood and Findus) and which owns the Cromer Crab Company announced a 90-day consultation process with the 230 people who work there, warning that some or all of the jobs were at risk.
The staff have been advised that the site has become uneconomic and processing work may be transferred to the company's other sites in Grimsby or Scotland. However, it has stressed that it was looking at all options, and only one of them was actual closure.
The Unite Union is holding talks with the company about saving jobs at what is one of the largest employers in the town which is famous throughout Europe for the quality of its crabs and lobster.
Unite regional officer Ivan Crane said: “As the town’s biggest employer, this is a massive blow to the community and the surrounding district as alternative employment prospects in the area are minimal. The success and growth of this company has been built around a product that is part of the heritage of Cromer. A committed and loyal workforce is now just being abandoned."
He added: “We have a meeting with the company and we will urge management to rethink the move as we believe the company has an obligation to this town. The Cromer Crab Company should remain in Cromer.”
The proposal is also worrying fishermen in Cromer who supply the factory with shellfish. Local skipper John Davies said that the company had been a good ally to the fishermen and the town over the years, but he doubted the logistics of buying crabs in Cromer and then moving them to Grimsby or Scotland for processing.
Norman Lamb, the Lib-Dem MP for the town, who met the company, said it was still open minded about the site's future. He revealed that one of Cromer Crab's main customers had told the company it wanted the factory to remain in Cromer. "It is an iconic brand and should be here and we should do everything we can to save it " he added.
The site was sold to the Seafood Company and Young's for around £70-million in 2007.
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