More than 100 Dundee workers were left distraught and facing an uncertain future after a bold bid to save their jobs ended in failure.
Shocked union bosses said Flint Group’s 115 staff were paying the price for “years of mismanagement” after rescue plans drawn up by employees to save the firm’s Dundee plant were rejected.
Drew Duffy, GMB Organiser, said: “We are continuing negotiations into getting the staff the best redundancy package possible that recognises the hard work every employee has put into this company for many years. The site was due to celebrate its 60th year in April this year but instead it’s being closed before then.”
The axe has been hanging over the Old Glamis Road facility for the past month after Flint revealed a plan to consolidate transfer media operations to America in the face of “worsening financial losses.”
The group ended hopes the Dundee factory could avoid closure after issuing a statement saying the counter proposals were unable to deliver the £3.6 million of savings required at the site.
The company’s Operations Manager David Wood said: “It was vital for them to understand the severity of the situation and the gap to be filled by any of their recommendations. For a proposal to be seriously considered as robust and resilient to the ongoing market decline, a minimum of £3.6m worth of savings needed to be identified.
“Although a lot of hard work had gone into the proposals presented, they still remained substantially below the required amount to rescue the facility, against the backdrop of an irreversible declining market.”
Vice President and General Manager of Flint Group’s Print Media Europe division Tony Lord said: “This is a very sad day for all of us, everyone has pulled together over the past few weeks to see if another option could provide a sustainable future for the facility.
“However, it is an extremely challenging marketplace at present, especially when established national newspaper groups such as the Independent announce a move entirely away from print to online.
“We have stated from the beginning our responsibility to our employees and our promise to ensure this difficult process would not be drawn out unnecessarily, leaving people with uncertainty about their future and potentially providing false hope.
“Now a decision has been finalised, the consultation process will enter discussions on enhanced redundancy packages, as well as how we can best support our employees, working closely with partners such as Pace to provide career support and re-training opportunities.”
See Friday’s Courier for more on this story.