Mass Anger At BemroseBooth Closures and Job Losses

Security printers BemroseBooth has closed its two Derby sites making over 200 staff redundant and made 30 staff redundant at its site in Hull.

Unite said workers had been treated "disgracefully" after they were escorted from the sites by security guards after being informed of the closures and job loses as well as being told told that June's wages would not be paid.

Unite regional officer Kathy Brooks, said BemroseBooth chief executive Jean-Paul Ansel blamed Marks & Spencer's decision to stop dealing with the company, together with major problems related to a promotional products contract for the closures.

Kathy Brooks said that the company had failed to consult meaningfully with the union, if at all and that Unite was now taking legal advice on its options. "The union is shocked and appalled at the manner in which the company has chosen to deal with this issue," she added. "It is the union's view that the company has demonstrated a blatant disregard of the law that places a duty on an employer to engage in meaningful consultation in good time."

Jean Paul Ansel had said that the company was currently being restructured to make it profitable and had formed a new company, Bemrosebooth Systems, created on 8 June 2010 and which lists Ansel, and Leonard Levie, of BemroseBooth's US-based owner AIAC, as directors.

Meanwhile Marks and Spencer has accused BemroseBooth's management of misleading workers over claims the retail giant was partly to blame for the demise of the historic Derby firm. Marks and Spencer said it had every intention of renewing a multi-million-pound contract with the Derby firm, which employed 234, until it was revealed it would have been with a new company set up by two members of BemroseBooth's senior management team. A Marks and Spencer spokesman said as a result it refused to do business with the new company.

At Hull 30 redundancies have been made. A total of 28 staff members were marched off the site at Bemrose Booths, in Sutton Fields, after being told they had been made redundant.

Tony Randerson, Unite regional officer, said the way the situation had been handled was possibly the worst he had seen in his six years as a union officer.

He said: "In my opinion it is quite despicable what has happened here today. A lot of the workers who were made redundant were in tears as they left the site. Security guards were on hand to escort them off the sites".

Tony Burke, assistant general secretary at Unite the Union said: "We are furious about the situation at BemroseBooth and that a long-established and well-known company has come to such an ignominious and tragic end.

"Employees have not been paid for work they've already done, people were working in the morning and the company knew they would not be paid - for people to be thrown out of work in this way is disgusting. We will do all we possibly can to help our members and their families - we are already consulting our lawyers and meetings are taking place with our reps. There is no place for this sort of behaviour in the UK printing industry or anywhere else for that matter."