More than 30 jobs are under threat at a Dumfries flooring factory.
Interfloor at Heathhall Industrial Estate has started a formal 30-day redundancy consultation for the staff with a view to moving production to the company’s site at Haslington in Lancashire.
Unions are calling for “urgent action” and have asked the company to pause its plans to allow other options to be considered.
GMB Scotland has claimed it’s been suggested Dumfries staff from the plant could be asked to travel south to help train workers there in the short-term until the transfer of work is complete.
Alan Ritchie, GMB Scotland organiser at Interfloor, said: “The company’s stated intention to close this site and transfer the work to England is bad enough but to ask those workers facing redundancy to train their replacements is beyond the pale.
“The company has announced these plans and launched a 30-day consultation on the proposals without, apparently, seriously exploring any other option. The workers in Dumfries are skilled and committed and deserve far better.”
South Scotland MSP Colin Smyth said closing the factory would be a “massive blow”.
He added: “My thoughts are very much with the workforce and their families at this worrying time.
“Following discussions with the GMB union, I’ve written to the firm and also the Scottish Government and local agencies urging them to work together to explore every option possible to retain the factory and these vital local jobs.
“This is a loyal and skilled workforce and they really do deserve better. This is the last remaining Interfloor site in town following the closure of their other factories a decade ago, so there would be nowhere to relocate staff locally if the axe falls on the Heathhall factory”.
Interfloor, which makes gripper bars for carpets, has blamed falling sales on the loss of their biggest customer Carpetright, which went into administration in July.
Directors have also blamed sanctions linked to the Russian invasion of Ukraine for preventing the import of plywood and driving up costs.
Gary McEwan, managing director, said: “We have faced ongoing challenges regarding the long-term financial viability of our Dumfries operation, following the loss of a key raw material previously supplied from Russia.
“This supply ceased as a result of UK sanctions in 2022. Although we have secured alternative sources, the significantly increased costs have affected our competitiveness, particularly in a market also influenced by lower-cost imports.
“Over the past few years, this situation has led to a marked reduction in sales, and we have been operating at a loss. Despite hoping for improvements in the supply chain, there has been no indication that this will happen in the foreseeable future.
“As a result, we have entered into a formal consultation process with employees regarding the future of the site.
The threatened job losses will mean closure of the company’s last factory in Dumfries after it shuttered two other sites in 2013 when its workforce in the town was 109.