No last minute reprieve for Dorset Enterprise factory workers: They're just making tea, says councillor

3:40pm Thursday 24th January 2013 in News By Will Frampton

The Dorset Enterprises factory in West Howe The Dorset Enterprises factory in West Howe

A LAST-ditch effort to save the jobs of 23 disabled people at a Bournemouth factory was turned down by councillors after hearing half the staff were "just making tea".

The Dorset Enterprise factory in West Howe, which was set up to employ injured First World War veterans, has made losses of around £470,000 each year for the last seven years.

Last week the council cabinet agreed to close the factory in March, making its workers redundant, a move opponents claim will leave them trapped on benefits and deprived of a vital service.

Labour leader Cllr Ben Grower called on members of a scrutiny committee to recommend the employees be retained while the future of the factory was decided.

He claimed the council would only save £83,000 of its projected losses for 2013 by making workers redundant, due to payout costs and the need to re-pay a £200,000 government grant. He also said the factory could be made more productive.

Speaking at the meeting, Cllr Blair Crawford, cabinet member for adult social care, said Dorset Enterprise was failing its employees, and the council was seeking a voluntary sector partner to take over the factory.

But he said this would be impossible with the current workforce in place, due to regulations which meant staff transferred to a new organisation would retain their existing rights as employees.

“Most people there are not gainfully employed,” he said.

“At least half of the employees there are not capable of work. When I have visited they are just reading the newspapers or making tea.”

Cllr Crawford said they would assess each worker over the coming weeks to see whether they should be redeployed within the council, or retired on medical grounds, for which they would receive a better pay-off.

At the vote, only Cllr Grower supported his own motion to send the decision back to cabinet, with 11 opposed. After the meeting he said he was not surprised by the decision.

“They want to get rid of the staff. It is a fully-fitted factory worth“£1million,” he said.

“I hope the workers take the council to a tribunal.”

Ian Walker, a representative for disabled members of Unison, said he doubted the staff would be able to find work elsewhere.

He added: “There is no proof this move will save public money overall, these people will have to be paid tax, housing and disability benefits and there will be an inevitable cost to social services when they become critical cases.

“It was the council’s own decision to get rid of the factory’s marketing and operations managers which proved fatal to its success.”

Comments(18)

speedy231278 says...
4:06pm Thu 24 Jan 13

“At least half of the employees there are not capable of work. When I have visited they are just reading the newspapers or making tea.”

Perhaps he visited at tea break time?

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wintonwizard says...
4:11pm Thu 24 Jan 13

speedy231278 wrote:
“At least half of the employees there are not capable of work. When I have visited they are just reading the newspapers or making tea.”

Perhaps he visited at tea break time?
That's what I was thinking as well. But it sounds 'good' as a populist sound bite, especially when the people concerned haven't been given the opportunity to respond to it in the article.

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The Liberal says...
4:23pm Thu 24 Jan 13

Could not former owner Dorset County Council take it back off Bournemouth? With the right management, surely it could be made profitable again.

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suzigirl says...
4:24pm Thu 24 Jan 13

I wonder what they do most of the time at the Council Offices - it is probably not drinking tea but sipping champagne on their various jollys!

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BmthNewshound says...
4:30pm Thu 24 Jan 13

“At least half of the employees there are not capable of work. When I have visited they are just reading the newspapers or making tea.”......
.
A similar number of Councillors are not capable of doing their jobs but it doesn't stop them collecting their allowances for doing absolutely nothing.

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John T says...
4:33pm Thu 24 Jan 13

Blair Crawford was recently ordained as a minister in the Apostolic Faith church, so is it surprising that he is displaying his Christian values?
Perhaps, those employees should have tried to get him to join the Tea Party!

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JM2013 says...
4:50pm Thu 24 Jan 13

The comments from the Councillor are ill judged and ill informed.

The ECHO should take a visit to the factory and get the truth from the staff themselves. The Councillor is not qualified to comment on their ability to work either in their present job or any potential future employment.

Tell the Council to reconsider by signing the petition which has been set up. 1500 signatures and we can force a proper debate in the full Council meeting.

http://www.avaaz.org
/en/petition/Keep_Do
rset_Enterprises_Ope
n/

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tramp_about_town says...
5:09pm Thu 24 Jan 13

£470k annual losses each year for the last 7 years! No small business would be in business long with those figures.

The issue is more than likely down to lazy or incompetent management who haven't had the will or need to drive the business in to profit as they were constantly being propped up by the taxpayer.

I am sure a viable stand alone business is possible with a proper business model, commercial awareness and some proper management.

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manyogie says...
5:25pm Thu 24 Jan 13

if the council are funding it, then why, instead of walking out and making off the cuff comments like this, are they not taking a more proactive approach, by their own admissio, £3.5 MILLION pounds have gone to waste over 7 years, that's the disgrace of it, 7 years of being ignored, disgracefull, shame shame shame on every councillor who has been aware of this for 7 years and not acted!
Talk about 'not my money approach!

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Old Colonial says...
5:35pm Thu 24 Jan 13

“It was the council’s own decision to get rid of the factory’s marketing and operations managers which proved fatal to its success.”

Exactly! As everyone knows. As for Crawford's comments............

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BBC Escapee says...
6:04pm Thu 24 Jan 13

"When I have visited they are just reading the newspapers or making tea"

Ah, I have just read the article again - I thought he meant at the Town Hall.

What an ill-judged comment to make - but you say something like that knowing the effect it will have.

They also knew what they were doing when they got rid of the Marketing and Operations Manager.

Shame they have not been equally concerned about the vast amount of money wasted on the surf reef!

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sea poole says...
6:17pm Thu 24 Jan 13

Glad he's a B'mouth cllr and not here in Poole...Hang on, we've got like for like..

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Lord Spring says...
6:36pm Thu 24 Jan 13

“At least half of the employees there are not capable of work.

What a way to talk about people who have difficulties .
There but for the grace of God goes he

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muscliffman says...
6:45pm Thu 24 Jan 13

Councillor Crawford's comment about the staff making tea and reading newspapers sounds like a poor and ill considered attempt to grab the headlines.

On reflection of course it actually confirms attrocious management of the place by the Council themselves. If public money has been draining away from here for years why did nobody at the Town Hall, including this Councillor, do anything about it.

I wonder if the senior Council Officers ultimately responsible for overseeing this failing factory will be joining the workforce on the dole? (Don't be silly!)

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Old Colonial says...
7:36pm Thu 24 Jan 13

Lord Spring wrote:
“At least half of the employees there are not capable of work.

What a way to talk about people who have difficulties .
There but for the grace of God goes he
Ah, but he has found his own salvation in the Lord. So s*d anyone, else he's OK.

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boverboy says...
8:53pm Thu 24 Jan 13

'Cllr Crawford said they would assess each worker over the coming weeks to see whether they should be redeployed within the council, or retired on medical grounds, for which they would receive a better pay-off'

Does Cllr Crawford really think that an Occupational Health Doctor is going to decide that a number of the staff involved are medical unfit to work as this is what would be needed for staff to actually receive a better pay-off than being made redundant?
What he appears to be saying is that they need to get rid of the employees by any means possible to avoid the legal obligations of TUPE in order to find a voluntary sector partner to take over the factory. This is a shamefull way to treat a disabled workforce!

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oneshortleg says...
8:19am Fri 25 Jan 13

Shame on you Bournemouth Council, by removing key staff you have destroyed the lives of these people. The work these people did was of a high quality but the price they charge were far too low thus it made a loss, with a better management team it would have made profit.

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juniperberry says...
10:02am Fri 25 Jan 13

And if it were any other council department would we all be happy to keep council workers in jobs that are not needed? I doubt it!

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