Brutal sackings

Hundreds of workers were sacked yesterday (Tuesday 24) at the Aylesford Newsprint firm in Kent, only one day after the company announced it would be going into administration.

 
Unite will be seeking legal advice after the abrupt sacking, which saw 234 employees go at the hands of administrators KPMG.

 
Only 64 workers are being kept to help administrators in decommissioning the paper mill and other maintenance duties. Unite represents 150 members at the firm.

 
Unite regional officer Tim Elliott vowed that the union would not back down in the face of administrators’ heartless actions.

 
“Unite won’t roll over when it comes to defending its members and we will be seeking legal advice following this harsh action delivered in honeyed words by the administrators,” Elliott said.

 
“We want a proper consultation period involving serious negotiations to save as many jobs as possible,” he added. “The closure of this plant will be a massive blow to the Kentish economy as it is one of the biggest employers in the area.”

 
Owned by US investment holding company Martland Holdings for the last two years, the company produces more than 400,000 tonnes of recycled newsprint each year, some of which it has supplied to the main newspaper groups.

 
The firm recorded a turnover of ÂŁ139m in 2013.