MEMBERS OF the workforce at a Mochdre car plant were left "angry and anxious" at administrators' handling of redundancy measures.
Quinton Hazell Automative Limited (QH), which has 83 employees at a plant on an industrial estate in Mochdre, went into administration on Wednesday as KPMG were appointed administrators of parent company, Klarius Group Ltd
Members of the workforce at the Mochdre plant were told they were losing their jobs with immediate effect at 9am on February 7, with 79 redundancies made.
A small number of employees will be kept at the site to assist the closure process.
Paul Flint, Joint Administrator and Restructuring Partner at KPMG, said: “Despite extensively marketing the Glasson Dock and Colwyn Bay sites to potential buyers, we were unable to find a buyer and have taken the difficult decision to wind them down.
“Prolonged challenging trading conditions in the automotive parts sector impacted QH’s performance. This created cashflow pressures and affected QH’s ability to trade as a going concern.”
Representatives from KPMG will provide information to employees seeking to claim redundancy payments, and will be assist the Redundancy Payments Office.
John Hamilton, Unite Wales regional industrial officer, said: “We had been in talks with the company prior to this announcement but they have moved from having 24 redundancies on the table to insolvency in the space of just a week.
"Our members and employees across the site have been left feeling very frustrated, angry and anxious by the speed at which the insolvency action has hit and the immediate outcome.
"This news is a major disappointment and the management should have had greater engagement and been more honest with the union and the workforce at a much, much earlier stage.
Mr Hamilton added: "The workforce at Quinton Hazell is exceptional and in the right hands the company could do well.”
David Jones, MP for Clwyd West, expressed concern at the announcement.
Mr Jones said: “I know the Quinton Hazell factory, and paid a visit there only a few months ago. The factory has a troubled recent history, but I was hopeful that it was now in a stable financial position."
He added: “I have written to the Administrator and will continue to take a close interest in the situation as it develops.”