Job losses at locker factory 'industrial vandalism'

The site in Saltney has made storage lockers for 40 years

The closure of a storage locker factory, which will lead to 55 job losses, is an act of "industrial vandalism", a trade union has said.

The production plant at Saltney, Flintshire, is set to be closed by the Whittan Group in January.

Brian Troake, from the Unite union, said the proposed closure "will be resisted every inch of the way".

The Whittan Group, which is based in the Shropshire town of Telford, has been approached for comment.

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The site at Saltney was set up during World War Two and has made storage lockers for the past 40 years.

The Whittan Group bought the factory in 2016.

Mr Troake urged the company to work with the union and the Welsh Government in order to save the jobs of the 55 staff who work there.

"Our members in Saltney deserve better treatment from the company, which appears to be transferring this work in an act of self-preservation for its Telford headquarters," he added.

"Saltney is an economically viable site which boasts a full order book and a healthy future.

"This will also be a bitter blow for the local economy, especially in the middle of a pandemic.

"We would encourage the Whittan Group to work with Unite and the Welsh Government to explore every avenue available to prevent closure, including the chancellor's new job support scheme as a way of avoiding compulsory redundancies."

Alyn and Deeside member of the Senedd, Jack Sargeant, tweeted that the news was "devastating" for staff.