Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Union blasts Dundee redundancies as ‘a shambles’ as it considers legal action

Dundee workers told they're losing their jobs have been 'treated disgracefully', says union

The Bonar Yarns premises in Dundee. Image: Google Maps.
The Bonar Yarns premises in Dundee. Image: Google Maps.

Bosses at the union Unite have hit out at the owners of Dundee-based Bonar Yarns after workers were verbally informed the firm is to close.

The Courier first reported that workers at the manufacturing firm were told the business would be closing.

That news came just weeks after American-based business Newman Yarns rescued the historic Dundee firm.

Bonar Yarns fell into administration at the beginning of April, citing “unsustainable cashflow issues”

Newman Yarns was founded by John Newman, owner of Elite Turf USA, a distributor of synthetic sports turf.

Dundee workers treated ‘disgracefully’, says union

Unite has described the process as “a shambles” and said it is exploring taking legal action against the new owners.

The union is calling on Dundee City Council and the Scottish Government to step in.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “The Bonar Yarns workers have been treated disgracefully by the new owners.

“The firm has been based in Dundee for 100 years and it would be a tragedy if it permanently closes.

Sharon Graham, the general-secretary of Unite the Union.
Sharon Graham, general-secretary, Unite the Union. Image: Unite.

“We are calling on all interested parties including Dundee City Council and the Scottish Government to work with Unite to save these jobs.”

Unite has confirmed that is now exploring a protective award against Newman Yarns Limited on behalf of its members.

Bonar Yarns workers remain ‘in the dark’

To date no written redundancy notices have been issued to the workforce.

Unite industrial officer Dougie Orchardson confirmed Unite is exploring “all legal avenues” to support its members.

He said: “Around 60 workers based at the firm remain in the dark.

An employee at work in the premises of Bonar Yarns.
An employee at work in the premises of Bonar Yarns.

“What they have been informed of to date is that the factory will close in two weeks’ time.

“Yet, they have received no written confirmation of this and the whole process has been a shambles.

“Unite is now actively exploring all legal avenues on behalf of our members including a protective award claim in the event of closure.

“But we still believe there is a future for the company and the workers. This remains our priority.”

The new owners of Bonar Yarns have yet to respond to The Courier’s request for comment.

Conversation