|
Rumours that Cornwall's leading fishing business, W Stevenson and Sons of Newlyn, was being sold to a Spanish company, have been denied by company partner, Elizabeth Stevenson.
She told The Cornishman yesterday that the company had employed a leading Spanish consultant to advise and assist them on their current programme to streamline and modernise their fleet. "But we are not selling the company to the Spanish and there is no take over of our business taking place," she said. "Last year we announced that we were undergoing a streamlining and restructuring process and that there would be redundancies.
"This is to ensure that our fleet and whole operation of our business is modernised and profitable for the future. We still own our business and intend to continue operating our fishing fleet from Newlyn for years to come."
In October last year W Stevenson and Sons, who were operating 24 beam trawlers out of Newlyn, warned their employees that vessels might have to be laid up or sold and that the workforce may have to be restructured.
Eighty members of staff received a letter in their pay packet informing them the South West fishing industry had been severely hit by the rise in fuel prices.
The letter also notified them of a 30-day period of consultation over the future of beam trawling in Newlyn and invited them to elect representatives to attend board meetings with company partners.
Elizabeth Stevenson said at the time that the consultation period would enable employees and the company partners to look at cost saving and ways of streamlining the business.
"We knew this crisis was coming sooner or later," said Elizabeth.
"Beam trawlers are fuel thirsty vessels and the South West fishery has been particularly badly hit by the rise in the price of fuel.
article copyright © THE CORNISHMAN
 |
