25 jobs lost at VEKA

Burnley-based uPVC window system company VEKA has made 25 staff redundant as it works to mitigate the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on its business.

The redundancies followed a consultation process that began in June when the company was forecasting that 78 jobs would go.

VEKA was hit by the business failure of two important customers caused by the effects of the coronavirus crisis.

In a statement the company said: “This has had a substantial impact, forcing the business to review its ongoing requirements to reflect the loss of business.”

VEKA established an employee-elected committee in June which was made responsible for taking group redundancy consultations.

Managing director David Jones said: “Fortunately, throughout the process, working with our committee, we were able to reduce the impact from an estimated redundancy of 78 roles to 25.

“This equates to 6.5 per cent of our workforce and reflects the new scale of the business.”

He added that the business had seen strong results in July and there was a more positive overall industry outlook for the coming months.

VEKA said that those affected by redundancy had been offered outplacement support and extended wellbeing packages for a number of months following their leaving date.

David Jones added: “This isn’t the first time that VEKA had to make some tough decisions in order to weather a storm and I recognise that Covid-19 continues to impact communities and may, in turn, have further impact on business.

“Although I’m saddened that this has resulted in losing valued employees, by adapting and acting responsibly to ensure the sustainable success of the business, VEKA is not just here for now, but for the future and for life.”