‘Hammer blow’ for Norfolk economy

The 200 job losses at water heating manufacturer Heatrae Sadia in Norwich is ‘a hammer blow’ to Norfolk’s economy, Unite said today (January 10).

“This is very bad news for the local economy,” said Unite regional officer Steve Harley.

“Unite representatives are meeting with a senior executive of the parent company Baxi Heating UK today, when we will be asking for the figures to justify the business rationale for this hammer blow decision,” he added.

“We will be strongly questioning why the production of the water cylinders and electric water heaters would be moved to Preston,” Harley went on to say.

“We are also seeking a timetable for the consultation period during which time we will be exploring what can be done to mitigate the job losses.

“This announcement follows on from the news that Britivic and Unilever, producers of the iconic Colman’s Mustard, are closing their sites in Norwich by the end of 2019.

“Norwich can ill-afford to lose more highly skilled manufacturing jobs, especially with the uncertainly over Brexit and given that Norfolk is a predominately rural county.