Workers left out in cold as firm goes bust

AL Gordon Engineering, in Abbots Road, Bankside Industrial Estate, Falkirk – a neighbour of James Callander and Son Ltd sawmill which went into liquidation on January 8 – was wound up on Thursday, January 11 and Robert Gardiner of Dunfermline-based insolvency practitioner Thomson Cooper Accountants, was appointed as the provisional liquidator.

Mr Gardiner said: “Various options were explored to allow the company to continue to trade but unfortunately none were viable. The company has ceased trading and regrettably 35 staff have been made redundant.

“Known creditors have been made aware of the liquidation, however, if anyone else wishes to discuss the position then please contact Thomson Cooper on 01383 628800.”

After Christmas last year the company reportedly asked employees to help save the stricken firm.

A former employee, who did not want to be named, said: “We had a meeting on Boxing Day last year to see if anyone would stump up a lot of money to save the company.

“They asked employees to put their hands in their pockets to save the company, but at that point you were talking about coming up with £350,000. The managing director Trevor Tuplin said he would need to get the liquidators in.

“That was on Monday, January 9 and he told us not to come into work on Wednesday because the liquidators would be in. We came back to work on Thursday, January 11 and were told the firm had gone into liquidation.

“We never got paid before we left and I had done overtime as well. We are still waiting for that and for our redundancy forms to come through as well. We are supposed to be on seven weeks lying time by law.

“We have just been booted out the door. We are all due a lot of money.”