Back From The Brink In Burnley - 53 Survive Covid Struggle

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• Back From The Brink In Burnley - 53 Survive Covid Struggle

Burnley's Veka has kept 53 people on who were on the brink of losing their jobs - but sadly 25 have already been made redundant at the PVC-U systems house that has struggled through Covid.

A business review process started on 15 June, establishing an employee elected committee responsible for taking group redundancy consultations.

 “Fortunately, throughout the process, working with our committee, we were able to reduce the impact from an estimated redundancy of 78 roles to 25. This equates to 6.5% of our workforce and reflects the new scale of the business.”

– David Jones 

Managing Director, Veka plc

Phased approach

"The effects of the pandemic resulted in the business failure of two important customers," continues Veka's Jones. "This has had a substantial impact, forcing the business to review our ongoing requirements to reflect the loss."

Conducting the process in a changing environment resulted in Veka taking a phased approach to the redundancies. Phase one saw the 25 employees leave the business that were certain not to be retained because of a down-turn in business. Phase two remained on hold in case there was a positive sales upturn in July and a more positive overall industry outlook going forward. This has happened and thus Veka will no longer proceed with Phase 2 redundancies.

In for the long haul

Veka continues to support those affected by redundancy by offering outplacement support and extending wellbeing packages for a number of months following each individuals’ leave date.

“This isn’t the first time that Veka had to make some tough decisions in order to weather a storm," adds Jones. "I recognise that Covid-19 continues to impact communities and may, in turn, have further impact on business. Although I’m saddened that this has resulted in losing valued employees, by adapting and acting responsibly to ensure the sustainable success of the business, Veka plc is not just here for now but for the future and for life.”

Picture: Veka's massive Burnley factory is very important to the jobs and economy of the region. Unfortunately 25 employees have been made redundant by a Covid down-turn - but 53 had been spared the same fate as business prospects look positive in the recovery.

Article written by Cathryn Ellis
19th August 2020

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