6:02pm Thursday 11th March 2010
By Matthew Colledge
A MAJOR employer of disabled people looks set to shed more than a third of its Bridgwater workforce.
Pluss, based on Northgate, has begun formal consultations with unions over plans to make 14 of its 38 Bridgwater staff redundant. A spokesman said: “Pluss’ enterprises, like many other companies, have been operating in an incredibly difficult trading environment.
“Our order books across manufacturing operations have suffered over the last year and despite investing in sales activities and product development, sales are 30% down.”
Pluss, which is soon set to transfer its Bridgwater operations to a new base in East Quay, is a social enterprise owned jointly by several South-West councils, including Somerset County Council.
Throughout the region it employs 500 people, half of whom are disabled.
It provides training for disabled people to find work, but also offers them direct employment in areas such as printing services and the making of festival lights.
Pluss said it had tried to save jobs through a period of temporary short-time working, but had been unable to reach an agreement with unions.
The spokesman said: “Pluss now needs to take action to protect itself and its future.
“We cannot allow the difficulties being experienced in our enterprise sector to put at risk our core business principles.”
Pluss said despite the likely loss of 14 jobs in Bridgwater, it plans to create nine short-term trainee posts for disabled people, who would then be helped to find work locally.
It said its employment services would not be affected.
Pluss also said it would do all it could to help its staff find other jobs, through one-on-one meetings, an emergency employment skills club, access to computers and the internet, and paid time off to look for work and attend interviews.
The spokesman added: “We also have an in-house welfare and benefits advisor and in-house counsellor to provide people with the advice and support they may need throughout this difficult time.”
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