| Usdaw members at Grattan left devastated with thousands of jobs at risk |
14 January 2009
David Johnson, Usdaw National Officer said: "Our members are totally shocked and distressed by this news. Everyone was aware that a business review was taking place that may have resulted in a number of redundancies. However no-one could have predicted the scale of this announcement putting thousands of jobs at risk.
I have been told that this decision is not due to the economic downturn but reflects restructuring and repositioning in the traditional catalogue home shopping sector that has seen a steady decline in recent years.
Many of the staff have worked for Grattan for a long time and also there are many different family generations who work for the company. They are a very hardworking and extremely loyal workforce. It really is a bitter blow to Bradford, the surrounding area and other affected parts of the country.
I will be meeting the Usdaw reps at the affected sites later today."