Around 150 people have been left fearing for their jobs as Neutrik announces it may soon cease operations on the Isle of Wight and move production to mainland Europe.
In a briefing to staff this afternoon (Wednesday), the Ryde-based firm explained that the factory is unable to keep up with demand and the company is therefore considering its options – 1 of which includes moving the factory’s operations to Europe.
Island Echo understands that from Monday consultations are being entered with advice sought on how best to move forward. The consultation period is expected to last 45 days and could end up with the Ryde staff being made redundant – with the loss of around 150 local jobs.
One source has said:
“They have trouble getting staff in and getting the orders out the door. They started moving jobs to Bulgaria a few months back and more and more work has been heading out there.
“A lot of us think they have already made up their minds”.
It was in September 2020 that Island Echo reported 66 jobs were at risk, which came just 14 months after 18 staff were told they faced losing their jobs.
Neutrik has been operating in Ryde for around 40 years and was previously based behind Mayfield Middle School in Binstead. It now trades at Cothey Way near Tesco.
UPDATE THURSDAY – Mark Perrins, Managing Director of Neutrik UK, has said:
“Neutrik production has been closely associated with Ryde, Isle of Wight, for over 40 years, but recent events have resulted in circumstances that are negatively impacting the company’s ability to operate effectively from its current location.
“Recruitment, supply chain complexities and rapidly rising levels of global demand are the key issues requiring us to consider all available viable options, including the relocation of production to mainland Europe.
“At this time we are actively consulting with Neutrik UK staff. We will announce further details following the completion of all the appropriate consultation procedures.”
What are my rights?
If you are made redundant you are normally entitled to statutory redundancy pay if you’re an employee and you’ve been working for your current employer for 2 years or more. Your redundancy pay will be:
- half a week’s pay for each full year you were under 22
- 1 week’s pay for each full year you were 22 or older, but under 41
- 1-and-a-half week’s pay for each full year you were 41 or older
Your weekly pay is the average you earned per week over the 12 weeks before the day you got your redundancy notice.
If you were made redundant on or after 6th April 2022, your weekly pay is capped at £571 and the maximum statutory redundancy pay you can get is £17,130. Length of service is capped at 20 years.
You must be given a notice period before your employment ends. The statutory redundancy notice periods are:
- at least 1 week’s notice if employed between 1 month and 2 years
- 1 week’s notice for each year if employed between 2 and 12 years
- 12 weeks’ notice if employed for 12 years or more
Well I hope they go bust, if that’s the way they treat their staff
TRY PAYING A decent wage and they will be able to get staff.
Wages in Bulgaria will, no doubt, be much less.
Is there anybody left in Eastern Europe now they have discovered tax credits a free home free health care and free education?
YES, I think that they call it
COMMUNISM.
vote ting vote tong. Ting tong.
Perhaps those that are claiming benefits should be told there’s a job do it !!!!!!
Or lose your benefits !!!!
That should have solved the problem ….
You can’t make someone give you a job
Very true and Neutrik are unbelievably happy to fire people when it suits them they do it all the time!
Up until 2015 Neutrik had never made anyone compulsory redundant
SO, YOUR THE BOSS THEN.
Or the bosses sucky sucky.
No I’m just stating a fact
Why would you work for minimum wage when you get your rent paid and can live. I totally agree with you but you should not be better off on benefits if you have kids under 16 it doesn’t pay you to work on minimum wage unless you do 45- 50 hours it’s ridiculous
So why should we be subsidising the employer by taxpayer paying them in-work benefits?
That’s the problem they are better off not working,!!!
Which is why the benefit system needs an overhaul !!!!
I have worked all my life and never sponged off of society….
And before anyone says anything I know there are some genuine reasons people cannot work ….
But there are more that can’t be bothered ….
Average wage in Bulgaria is about the same as minimum wage here. Sadly for everyone at Neutrik it looks like no contest.
No it’s not, the average wages in Bulgaria are half of what the minimum wage in the UK are. Simply because the cost of living is far less. £1-50 for a pint of beer.
They are so crawl to their staff… it’s no wonder they can’t get enough people to work for them. Ruthless company… good riddens I say!! The manager and the supervisors are despicable creatures. I smell karma in the air!
Neutrik problem is not the shop floor management or the supervisors do you have any personal knowledge of the so called despicable creatures
I would really love to know why you think the supervisors are despicable creatures Neutrik has been set up to fail by head office making impossible work schedules so they can move to Bulgaria
Becouse it is people like you, who embrace these kind of working practices and conditions, just so that you can meet you’re monthly bonus ‘s and quoters.
F’k the underlings.
Reminds me of the coal miners strike. And YOU are the scabs.
Nicky, nick, Nichola.
What are you going on about.? These despicable supervisors took a 7 1/2% pay cut for the whole of last year to help the shop floor staff the supervisors and middle management do not get bonuses they are salaried and don’t get paid overtime we too are losing our jobs so how the hell are we scabs
Neutrik has been set up to fail because it runs like a 90’s Chinese sweat shop. The company has failed to modernise its production.
They can’t get the staff cos they’re notorious for treated their staff like numbers. Awful company to work for here
Less jobs for the thousands of extra people soon to fill the now green rolling acres. More on free rent c.tax and child benefit
Oh well.Be ready for a huge influx of Philippines round Ryde.As a majority are foreign workers.Sending all there money back to there OWN country.They can do one and work on P&O for a couple of quid a day
Good riddance ….
What!!!! There are 8 Asian people working there plus a couple of poles hardly the majority
Well! You Obviously don’t work there then.You must be getting mistaken for the corner shops..
I have worked there for nearly 20 years
You must be blind then or work in a box. Because I know for a fact of at least 30 philappinos who work there.Its like working in a foreign country.You don’t know what there saying to each other.They and all foreigners should be made to speak the English language when in our company.Its Rude and disrespectful.Churchhill would do his nut on if he knew what’s happened to Great Britain..
The system allows them to do this. It’s no the indivdual’s fault. Blame the system that allows it.
I work at Neutrik & I will soon be losing my job. We are a very friendly bunch. There are targets of course, just like most businesses. It IS NOT A WORKHOUSE. For those of you who think this place is full of foreign workers: THAT IS UNTRUE. The majority of workers are white British & the very few workers from the Phillipines are MY FRIENDS.
I temped here a few years ago, it’s like working in a prisoner of war camp. People breathing down your neck, unfriendly staff. Well maybe the staff can move to Bulgaria. Make a change for UK residents to migrate.
That is strange, so many other manufacturing companies are able to thrive on the island. It may help to get more staff if there was more affordable housing but the NIMBY lot keep saying no. A lot of the emergency services are struggling to get staff as they any new staff can’t find a place to live. But I suspect it’s more to do with the working environment of the company.
Currently massive shortage of computer engineers. If you have the chance, get trained in IT. Never be out of work again.
This is terrible news !So sad for the employees, some who have worked at Neutrik for years. Many of these people have mortgages and families to support. Good luck to them all in finding new jobs soon. Worrying times.
Why give a pay rise, then FORCE the staff to have cut hours so you come out with less salary, oh yes and remove lunchbreaks as well. Need I say more…. Saving money but not saving staffs health and wellbeing, makes me f’ing sick. Management gone Mad. It’s P & O again.
No one wants to mention brexit. So many companies don’t want to say directly this as the reason. But it’s obvious we have put up huge barriers to our nearest market