The new factory of the Freitasmar group in Olhão, located in the Fishing Port of this Algarve city, was inaugurated this Wednesday. The new unit will improve the group's production capacity in the region and is intended for the production of canned mackerel, tuna and sardines in olive oil, with the Italian market as the main destination.
Starting next week, the approximately one hundred employees of the company who are currently working in the old facilities of the former Pacheco factory, in Olhão, acquired a few years ago by the Freitasmar group, will start working at the new unit.
"On Monday morning, we should finish the move to the new factory, in the Port of Olhão," he revealed to Sul Informação the businessman José Maria Freitas. According to the head of Freitasmar, at this stage close to one hundred employees will change, but the idea is "to reach 120 or 130 by the end of the year."
In the former Pacheco factory, "around 90 workers work, although recently we have increased to 30, taking into account the move to the new facilities", he revealed. To the workforce that was needed at the old factory, the Portuguese group plans to add “another 2013 workers by the end of XNUMX”.
The new factory has an approximate size of 5 thousand square meters and its construction required an investment of around 5,5 million euros on the part of Freitasmar, «with a contribution of around 2 million euros by community and national funds».
At the ceremony, and according to a press release from the Chamber of Olhão, businessman José Maria Freitas made a point of stressing that «Eng. Francisco Leal [president of the municipality] had unlimited confidence that this work was going to be carried out and was concerned about the future of JA Pacheco employees. We decided to keep the jobs and create new ones, thus helping the country's economy».
The businessman also criticized the way in which «we, in Europe, everything is required, but the doors are open to other markets, without restrictions. We are walking in a very dangerous direction!».
On a festive day for Olhão, the mayor Francisco Leal praised the maintenance of jobs at JA Pacheco, whose employees now work at the new Freitas Mar factory.
«Dr. José Freitas always rested us. He's a man of great initiative, you don't make a factory like this lightly. We have to praise the entrepreneurs who make this type of bets», stressed Francisco Leal.
«This is a century factory. XXI, which can rival the best that exists in Europe, but we also have other companies that are doing a great job in this area in Olhão», highlighted the mayor.
"This is an area that has a future," said the secretary of state of Mar Pinto de Abreu. «This factory, in the context of the economy of the sea, has a special importance. The National Sea Strategy, which is under public discussion, must count on the contribution of all», exhorted the government official, praising the entrepreneurial capacity of businessman José Freitas.
The Secretary of State for the Sea guarantees that this is a sector that is turning the crisis around and proof of this are the various projects for new canning factories that are approved.
NOTE FROM THE MANAGEMENT:
O Sul Informação he was not present at the inauguration as he had not been informed of the ceremony by the Secretary of State for the Sea. Only national information bodies were invited and even the Chamber of Olhão was only informed of the initiative on the same day.
A situation that is probably linked to the fear of popular protest, as the Secretary of State for the Sea Manuel Pinto de Abreu took part in the ceremony. In the Algarve, counterparts of this member of the Government have already been received, on previous occasions, with the «Grândola, Vila Morena», by Zeca Afonso, which became a symbol of the opposition to the Government of Passos Coelho.
But, even if the Government is afraid of the contestation, nothing justifies that the regional information organs are not informed of these official displacements of members of the Government. It is a regrettable attitude that does nothing in favor of freedom and the right to information.
Updated at 14:34 pm, adding the statements by the mayor of Olhão and the secretary of state.
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