Sacked workers at a Norwich double glazing firm were today fighting to receive unpaid wages following the sudden collapse of the business.

Workers Bowater Home Improvements' Norwich headquarters have told of their anger after turning up to work to find they had lost their jobs with immediate affect.

Up to 400 members of staff are facing unemployment after the sudden collapse of the firm, which trades on the Sweetbriar Industrial Estate site as Zenith Staybrite.

Many workers today claimed they were owed money by the firm for work and feared they would never get to see it.

However, union bosses pledged to do all they could to ensure workers received the pay owed them.

Unite T&G's regional industrial organiser Miles Hubbard was on site yesterday to offer support to members and told the Evening News of the “real distress” of the sacked workers, some of whom were reduced to tears.

He said: “Most people found out after seeing it in the press or hearing it by rumour, or by text messages from their mates.

“This clearly didn't happen out of the blue and while we fully accept the company was trying to secure other funding we think there was an obligation on them to give some indication to their workers that there were problems.

“It is just after Christmas and a lot of people are in debt and have spent money that they otherwise would not have spent had they known.

“They were in real distress there and people were in tears. My opinion and the union's position is that that is not the way to treat people - many of whom have given years of service.

“To have the rug pulled from under you after 30 years of loyalty to that company and to have it happen with no warning is awful.”

Mr Hubbard said workers had been told they would not get last week's wages and they were due to go to the factory today to fill out forms to try to reclaim their money from the Government's Insolvency Service.

He added that the union was currently taking advice on the legal position of workers, but if there was legal action to take the union was fully prepared to do so on behalf of members.

The firm was founded in 1969 and is one of the UK's biggest home improvements companies with annual sales of £77million.

However, it has suffered a drastic fall in customer orders, plunging it into major financial difficulties.

The firm's bosses had tried to sell it before Christmas - but no buyer could be found and after the firm's bank withdrew it support, it was yesterday placed into administration.

Hundreds of workers turned up at the factory to find it shut down. Computers had been switched off, equipment packed away and staff were being told to await further instructions.

Shortly after lunchtime, staff at the factory were given the news that they had lost their jobs. However, many still turned up for their late shifts as normal unaware of the news, whilst some told how the first they heard of it was on the Evening News website.

Stephen Bulman, who has worked for Zenith for 34 years, turned up for his 7.30am shift as usual only find all the equipment packed away and computers locked down.

The 53-year-old, from Romany Road, said: “After 34 years of service to the company I was treated like something you find on the bottom of your shoe.”

Fabricator Mike Skinner, 44, from Taverham, said he would be left struggling with mortgage and child maintenance payments after working for nearly 20 years at the firm.

He said: “I'm gutted, I've worked here for 20 years and it's been a big part of my life.

“We knew it'd been coming as we had been constantly doing four day weeks over the last couple of years. But we have just got to get on with our lives and move forward.”

Assembly line worker Melvyn Clarke, 48, from Heartsease, who began work for Zenith at just 20, said: “We have been informed it's going to take up to nine months before we get any redundancy payments. That's a long time.

“People have got mortgages and families, we can't afford to be unemployed at this time of the year.”

The grim news came after administrators from accountants Grant Thornton agreed a sale of the Staybrite and Zenith brands plus half of its sales offices and installation centres to competitor the Weatherseal Group.

But the company's headquarters on the Sweetbriar Industrial Estate and installation offices were closed with immediate effect, with the loss of 390 jobs.

A further 1,000 self-employed canvassers and fitters face an anxious wait to see if they will be offered work by Weatherseal.

David Thurgood of Grant Thornton said: “This sector is characterised by intense competition and a fall off in orders as household incomes have come under pressure: unfortunately a reconstruction outside of insolvency has proven impossible to achieve.”

Weatherseal confirmed today that it intends to restructure the company in order to secure the future of the business and the guarantees that have historically been offered by Zenith Staybrite.

Managing director Ian Blackhurst said: “I would strongly advise any customer that may have a query about an existing order or installation to contact their Zenith Staybrite representative who will be happy to deal with their enquiry as normal.”


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