Sacked Borders workers in compensation battle

SACKED workers from the recently closed Slumberdown factory in Hawick are demanding compensation for lost wages and redundancy payments from the doomed company.

At a mass meeting held at Hawick Bowling Club yesterday, former employees of the bedding firm met Unite union representatives and lawyers to discuss tactics for securing two weeks' unpaid wages and redundancy money.

Management from the company called in administrators Ernst and Young two weeks ago to wind up Slumberdown, with the loss of 60 jobs in Hawick and another 50 from the plant at Blyth in Northumbria.

The union says it will be taking Slumberdown to an employment tribunal to claim for a protective award - financial compensation for staff who lost wages and received no redundancy after the closure. About 20 staff have been kept on at the Hawick plant on a day-to-day basis to help wind up the company.

Speaking after the meeting, Unite's Tony Trench said: "The staff are sad, the penny has dropped that their jobs are gone, they are totally deflated.

"We have heard that Peter Scott's (Hawick textile firm) may be taking people on in September, but that's a long time to wait. We will be pursuing the legal angle through the employment tribunal to protect our members' interests."

Two other companies, Reffond Ltd and Thomas H Loveday have also been wound up as part of the same administration procedure. The companies all have Martin Buckley and Christopher Smith listed as directors and the companies were registered at the same address as Slumberdown's Blyth plant.