Trade union Unite has won a 90 Day Protective Award for 103 former employees of Bison Concrete's Leeds site.

The award means all workers laid off from the Leeds site can claim compensation for up to 90 days pay for Bison’s failure to consult with Unite about the possibility of redundancies.

Bison Manufacturing Ltd, based in Burton-on-Trent, dismissed 552 workers nationwide in October last year with 103 released from its Leeds site. The Award was secured by Unite, which represents 40 of the employees, and Morrish Solicitors.

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Unite Regional Officer, John Mallinder, said: "My principle concern is that justice has prevailed for the workers, after a company thought that they could dismiss individuals without recourse.

"It is always a sad day when a company goes out of existence. Had Bison Concrete consulted with us, the recognised representatives, we could have and would have sought to do whatever possible to help keep the business operating."

Jayne Phillips, Partner of Morrish Solicitors acting for Unite members, has encouraged any firms facing financial difficulty to make their employees aware.

She said: "The main aim of consultation with employees and their representatives is to avoid the need for redundancy. The union is a resource to save jobs and the company. It's not a sign of weakness to say you're in financial trouble, especially in this climate. So many companies go into administration with their employees the last to know, when in fact these are the very people with the best ideas that could save them."

(CD/JM)