GALWAY TIMBER COMPANIES VOICE CONCERNS OVER SALE OF COILLTE RIGHTS
Date Published: 27-Feb-2013
Two Galway based timber companies claim hundreds of jobs will be lost if the proposed sale of Coillte's harvesting rights goes ahead.
A Daíl debate of a United Left Alliance motion opposing the sale is expected to conclude with a vote later this evening.
The Government is considering plans to sell Coillte's harvesting rights for an estimated 600 million euro.
However the Irish Timber Council claims this could lead to the loss of up to 2,500 jobs, and representatives led a delegation to the Oireachtas this week.
Two of the largest timber companies in the country are based here in Galway - ECC and Murray Timber.
ECC employs 110 staff at its site in Corr na Mona and another 210 people in spin off services.
The Murray timber group, which has sites in Ballygar and Carlow, employs around 140 people directly and 150 people indirectly.
The sawmill was set up in Ballygar over 30 years ago.