Published: Thursday, 20th November, 2008 12:00
Axed Cemtron workers to get pensions cash
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FORMER employees of troubled Dalgety Bay firm Cemtron have finally secured pension payments after weeks of uncertainty.
Administrators Tenon have confirmed they will receive pension payments from next week in time for Christmas, and that plans to save the firm are “progressing positively”.
The company will also not contest claims for a protective award by law firm Thomson’s, which could see the 41 people who were made redundant last month secure 90 days’ payment.
Dunfermline East MSP Helen Eadie, who has been spearheading the campaign for compensation, met representatives of Tenon last week.
She said, “We had absolute assurance from Tenon Recovery that the full payments for pensions will go ahead as they are one of the priorities for the administrators, and they must be paid.
“I was also advised today that the company does not plan to contest the protective award which Thomson’s is seeking to secure for all concerned.”
A claim has now been submitted to the Redundancy Payments Office (RPO) for all pension arrears.
The RPO will pay this claim directly to the company’s pension provider, Prudential.
The protective award will be available to ex-employees because the company was not able to enter into a consultation period with staff prior to the redundancies.
Tenon claim the timescales in administration “made that impossible”.
Meanwhile, a spokesman for Tenon said the hope of securing a bidder so that Cemtron could continue operating looked promising.
He said, “Matters are progressing positively with interested parties, and we hope to make an announcement soon on the next stage in the administration process.
“However, there are still a number of legal and administrative issues that need to be addressed.
“We would like to thank everyone for their patience and continued support.”
It was also revealed that temporary staff have been taken on at the electronics manufacturer for three weeks to help with the distribution side of the business.
An ex-employee, who did not want to be named, said, “You can imagine how we feel about that.
"Why couldn’t they have kept us on and seen how things ticked along?
Mrs Eadie said she was also unhappy about the lack of support former workers had received.
She is seeking answers from Careers Scotland as to why helpline numbers on their website did not work and why two officials were on holiday at the same time when ex-staff tried to contact them for advice.
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