Around 100 jobs still hang in the balance at Falkirk firm

Last month Marshalls entered into the dialogue with its workforce over the future of its site in Dollar Industrial Estate which it is looking to close due to the impact the CIOVID-19 crisis has had on business.

According to management, who would make no further comment on the matter, the consultation period is due to end on Friday.

Union Unite is fighting to keep the 95 employees in a job and is still looking to hold further discussions with management.

Jerry Swain, Unite National officer, said: “We held recent discussions with Marshalls to persuade them to withdraw the closure decision and place the workforce back on the furlough scheme.

“We repeated our offer to work with the company to explore how we can make the Falkirk site more efficient and this included the introduction of different shift and working patterns for a short period of time.

“The company's proposed transfer of production to England amounts to an export of jobs when there should be a greater focus on transferring production of other materials to Falkirk to support the Scottish market.

“Unite will continue to press Marshalls to reverse this decision and we hope to hold further discussions with them in the near future."

According to the union, the firm’s decision to axe 95 jobs at the Dollar Industrial Estate site will have a “major impact on the local economy” including the company’s supply chain.

The workforce was furloughed under the government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, but despite this financial assistance the company still opened a consultation on the redundancies.

Unite stated Marshalls’ concerns over the financial impact the Coronavirus pandemic has had on the company did not stop its directors awarding themselves inflated bonuses and enhanced remuneration packages.

Marshalls PLC, which employs 2000 people throughout the UK, is a leading manufacturer of innovative hard landscaping products and operates quarries and manufacturing sites throughout the UK.

A Marshalls spokesperson said: “The economic impact of COVID-19 has been widely felt and is expected to reduce the demand for our products in 2020 and 2021 compared to last year.

“Consequently, like many other companies in the UK, we need to make adjustments so that our business is more sustainable to reflect the lower level of activity than we had originally planned before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Regrettably, we have therefore started to consult on a redundancy proposal. We are actively briefing the affected team members to ensure that they are supported through this process.”