A designer, manufacturer and fabricator of components and assemblies for the tunnelling, mining, steel and power generation industries, 109 of the 140 workforce at the company have been made redundant with immediate effect.
Yasmin Bhikha and John Lowe from specialist business advisory firm FRP Advisory have been appointed joint administrators, reports the www.thestar.co.uk
Davy Markham had been taken over by Hughes Armstrong Industries and Swiss financier Clearsight. Hughes Armstrong Industries’ website’s splash screen describes itself thus: “Hughes Armstrong Industries acquires or invests in British manufacturing companies.
“Backed by a range of ethical American and European institutional funds, we invest carefully but ambitiously, and only in businesses where we can add operational and strategic value.
“Our vision? To see those[acquired] businesses realise their potential, regain their former glory, scale new heights.” There is no other information available on the single-screen website.
Clearsight Investments similarly has a single screen website, which declares: "Operations, Alignment, Passion, Integrity".
But union Unite says Davy Markham had treated the workforce “with contempt.”
Unite regional officer Harriet Eisner said: “What we have here is another example of irresponsible industrial management with the dedicated workers paying with their jobs and the taxpayer picking up the tab.
“The company’s notice of redundancies and calling in of the administrators happened without consultation this week. This was a workforce who had time and time again taken cuts to their terms and conditions to keep the company going.
“The workforce has been treated appallingly and with contempt during this whole process, while the directors appear to have walked off into the sunset with owner Hughes Armstrong Industries.
“The directors failed to pay wages for the last month and have not honoured pension contributions for their employees, and even deducted the workers’ own pension contributions and failed to pay them on to the pension fund.
“More than 100 skilled workers are now unemployed in Sheffield and are having to apply to the government for their statutory rights.
“Yet again, a company has been run into the ground, but the management and directors get to walk away scot free. This is an all too familiar tale in modern Britain.
“Our members will have to rely on the taxpayer to get them their minimum redundancy pay-out and will have to take the company to court for failing to consult with them over the redundancies.
“This is a tragedy for UK engineering and manufacturing generally and, in particular, for Sheffield with its proud engineering tradition.
“Unite will be guiding our members through the process of claiming their redundancy payments, outstanding wages and pension contributions.We will also be seeking a protective award from the courts for lack of consultation over the redundancies.”
