UK Windows and Doors: Workers 'gutted' after 500 jobs lost

Couple Kiera Powell and Lloyd Yeates both work at UK Windows and Doors

A couple expecting their first baby in December say they are worried for their future after the company they work for went into administration.

Administrators for UK Windows and Doors said 496 jobs would go at sites in Treorchy, Llwynypia, Williamstown and Taff's Well, all in Rhondda Cynon Taf.

A further 67 jobs will go at sites in England.

The firm's chief executive said a decline in sales meant the business had become financially unsustainable.

Kiera Powell and her partner Lloyd Yeates both worked at the Treorchy site preparing windows.

"I've been working there two years, my partner about year-and-a-half," said Keira.

"We're gutted, we have a baby due in eight weeks. I've been on maternity leave for four weeks and they haven't said anything about maternity [pay].

"I don't know what's going to happen. We couldn't ask questions in the meeting, we had to keep on mute or be kicked out."

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Keira said she was worried about the future, with so many jobs going in one area.

"All we wanted was answers like everyone else, we work a month in advance, we don't know if we are getting paid for September," she said.

"I can't go looking for a job at the moment. If Lloyd does find another job there's no paternity entitlement.

"It's a difficult time of year to look for a job so close to Christmas, especially with no income coming in."

UK Windows and Doors has sites in Treorchy (above), Llwynypia, Williamstown and Taff's Well

Darren Rees, 42, from Risca, was responsible for security staff at the site in Treorchy, and said all 10 of them were now out of work.

"There were suspicions that the place was going to close down so we asked the management multiple times to try and get an idea", he said.

"With the lads we employ, I obviously wanted to give them the courtesy of knowing they had a couple of days or weeks or months so they could seek work elsewhere.

"None of that was relayed to us at all. Yesterday, another company came on site and took over. That was the first we heard about it."

Darren Rees said the job losses are going to have a "severe impact"

Shaun Jones, 33, from Nelson, a team leader at the Treorchy factory, said the process had been a "shambles".

"Then we had an email on Monday to say be on the conference call," he said.

"There was no discussion, we were just told we are out of a job. Personally I don't know how I am going to pay the bills."

"I've started looking straight away for another job . I've been up all night sending off my CV," said Shaun Jones

Adrian Emmett owns The Lion pub, which hosted about 40 workers on Friday when news started to spread among the staff.

"They all found out through social media, the same as the rest of us. It's not great news," he said.

However, Mr Emmett said the town would rally around to support those who had lost their jobs.

"We're no stranger to adversity," he said.

"We were built around the mines. We've lost the mines, lost our factories. It just seems like Groundhog Day."

Rob Edwards, the Community union's regional secretary for Wales, said: "Our members are walking a path of uncertainty as to what their next steps are.

"They're concerned about the future of their jobs, incomes, and families. Community union will do everything we can to support our members during this time.

"This outcome was avoidable, it's the result of the sheer mismanagement of our construction industry by the Conservative government in Westminster. But it's our members who are paying the price for their failures."

In response the UK government said: "We have backed businesses all of sizes with an unprecedented package of support including recent fuel duty and VAT cuts, business rates holidays and government-backed loans worth around £400bn."

'Absolute devastation'

Heledd Fychan, Plaid Cymru Member of the Senedd for South Wales Central, said: "It's absolute devastation. Some people have worked for the company in Treorchy for over 20 years.

"These are jobs we simply can't afford to lose in this area. We have huge unemployment and child poverty rates are increasing, people are really struggling.

"Finding a buyer for the property has to be a priority."

Economy Minister Vaughan Gething said his "first priority" was to see whether all or part of the company could be saved as a "going concern".

Speaking at a Welsh government press conference, he expressed sympathy for the workers at the company, adding: "The lack of information is causing real anxiety."

Later, in the Senedd, he said the company had communicated with its workforce "in an incredibly poor manner", with managers "in no clearer position than the rest of the workforce".

He said it was "a good example of how not to do it".