“There’s no stalemate with the GPMU,” added Johnson. “They have not contributed to the [forum bid] document unlike the 50-odd companies that have.
“In the next few weeks, we will know the outcome. I’ve even got the dummy [forum] board meeting on 2 October. It’s the big guns of the industry that will be shaping the future of the industry. I am doing this for the industry, not the BPIF.”
Johnson said the BPIF would not have embarked on its forum bid if it didn’t think it had a chance of gaining approval from the DTI. “The fundamentals are there,” he added.
Adare, Jarrolds, Quebecor and Polestar are just a few of the major companies supporting the forum bid, while industry backing has come from Pira, Picon and the BAPC among others.
Story by Gordon Carson