By Matthew Legg Business editor

Last updated 13:15, Tuesday, 02 September 2008

THE man behind Cumbrian Seafoods, the Maryport food factory that announced it could axe up to 70 jobs, has defended the firm’s record in the county.

Changes: The Cumbrian Seafoods factory in Maryport and, inset, boss Peter Vassallo

Peter Vassallo, who launched the business in June 1997, said the scale of job cuts at its Solway Road plant had not yet been finalised and consultation is still ongoing.

Workers were told last Friday that 70 jobs could go after a 30-day notice period.

In April last year the company began a 90-day consultation into a possible 105 job losses at the site.

But Mr Vassallo stressed he is still committed to west Cumbria and confirmed he had created 40 new jobs in the county to soften the blow of the losses at Solway Road.

The new posts will see 20 existing staff transferred to the Grant’s business, in Maryport, and 20 more to Cumbrian Seafoods in Whitehaven.

The shake-up was prompted by a decision taken last year to switch coated fish and shellfish operations to a new factory in Seaham, County Durham.

The move came because of a lack of space and a shortage of available labour in Cumbria.

Mr Vassallo said: “Further to the job losses reported in the News & Star, we can confirm that the company is consulting with its workforce over potential redundancies, as it has been doing for the last 16 months.

“The only change announced last Friday is that the process has been extended to include certain employees who were taken out of it last year.

“To date there have not been any redundancies during the consultation period.

“We are continuing to work hard to mitigate the risk of (redundancies) and announced only last Friday a further 20 new jobs at our Whitehaven factory, in addition to the 20 recently announced at the Grant’s factory.

“This is all the more creditable when measured against many industry sectors’ retrenchment and preparation for a prolonged period of recession, and where the

Chancellor of the Exchequer only this weekend spoke of the worst economic conditions in 60 years.

“Over the last ten years, Cumbrian Seafoods has invested many millions of pounds in the development of its Cumbrian businesses, creating jobs, paying the highest wages in the industry and supporting local community causes.

“For some time, the company has been implementing sweeping company-wide changes aimed at securing jobs, responding to growth opportunities and the worsening economic climate.

“If we have to make any person redundant, it goes without saying that such measures would only ever be a last resort and would be undertaken with regret.”

MLegg@cngroup.co.uk