Assembly slammed (From Western Telegraph)

Assembly slammed

A TOP Welsh economist has slammed the way the National Assembly dealt with the closure of the Dewhirst production factory in Cardigan.

The factory will close its doors on November 8th, with the loss of 325 jobs. Production will move to Morocco, where the average wage is 50 pence per hour. Dewhirst says the move is essential for the firm to survive.

Dr Phil Cook, director of the Centre of Further Education at Cardiff University, said the Assembly ignored the warning signs pointing to the 'inevitable closure' of the factory.

Speaking on 'Taro 9' on S4C on Monday, he said: "Politicians should do something before it happens. They should prepare, they should plan and they should develop strategies. But what they do is wait until things happen and then take a year-and-a-half to solve problems."

On the programme, First Minister Rhodri Morgan defended the Assembly's strategy. He said: "It isn't at all possible to predict which year, which month, which year and which factory will close. In the end, it happens quite sweepingly." But Dr Cook claims the signs were there in the 1999 book 'The Rise and Fall of Marks and Spencer', which claimed Dewhirst needed to cut costs and source more clothes from places such as Morocco.

He added: "It was in the 'Financial Times', too. The signs were there if you were looking."