Public grant to Wedgwood awarded to protect and create hundreds of jobs exposed
GMB, the union for ceramics workers, has slammed ‘broken promises’ that have seen iconic potteries company Wedgwood announce mass redundancies despite receiving millions of taxpayer cash to support and create jobs.
Questions emerged at a joint event held today by the Royal Mint and Wedgwood at the company’s Barlaston site to unveil a commemorative ‘Wedgwood coin’ to celebrate the company’s 260th anniversary.
In October 2014 then Local Growth Minister Penny Mordaunt visited Wedgwood and praised a £5.1 million Regional Growth Fund allocation, which the Government said would safeguard 440 jobs and create 102 new ones in Stoke.
“GMB demands either this money is clawed back and used to retrain the workers who face being thrown on the scrapheap - or Wedgwood thinks again and takes these redundancies off the table.
Amanda Gearing, GMB Senior Organiser
However, last month the iconic ceramic company, now owned by Finish giant Fiskars Corporation announced it was to slash 145 jobs at the Barlaston site.
GMB, the union for Wedgwood workers, called on the company to think again and take the redundancies off the table – or face millions being clawed back to support local livelihoods.
The union has launched a petition to save the threatened potteries job from the axe
@GearingAmanda speaking on BBC Midlands today following the revelation that £5 million was granted to Wedgwood to secure jobs and create more. This news comes when the employer are planning redundancies.https://t.co/zwbe97RgYw pic.twitter.com/ziMkgsHZ0K
— BOSS - GMB Union (@BOSSgmb) April 25, 2019
Amanda Gearing, GMB Senior Organiser, said:
"This is the worst kind of broken promise.
“Wedgwood was happy to accept more than £5million of taxpayer cash to create more than 100 jobs and safeguard hundreds more.
“The money was meant to keep those jobs safe for 25 years.
“Yet seven years later the company are cutting 150 jobs and shifting production overseas.
“Instead of strengthening the potteries they’re trying to smash it to pieces.
“GMB demands either this money is clawed back and used to retrain the workers who face being thrown on the scrapheap - or Wedgwood thinks again and takes these redundancies off the table."
