Sacked Simclar staff - on the march

Redundant Simclar workers brought Irvine town centre to a standstill as they protested the closure of the electronics firm.
About 600 staff and supporters marched through the Ayrshire town in the hope of forcing owner and company chairman Sam Russell to give them a fairer deal.
The situation began when staff arrived for work on January 29 and found the factory gates padlocked. The firms plants at Irvine and Kilwinning plants were both closed and the government left to pay state redundancy

Mr Russell has blamed the closure on globalisation issues but union bosses want him to take responsibility for the job losses.

STUC General Secretary Grahame Smith at a rally held in Irvine on Saturday said the way workers had been treated had been "absolutely shocking" and that it was the worst example of bad employment practices.

Willie Paterson,Community union spokesman, said: "The Simclar workforce was loyal, hardworking and efficient - they knew they were competing with developing countries. They did all they could to ensure the company was successful... Sam Russell and the other directors have shown no loyalty and commitment in return. He has tried to wash his hands and pretend he has done nothing wrong. Simclar employees have behaved with strength and dignity since he attempted to dump them on the scrap-heap."

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