MP seeks clarity on unpaid wages as firm collapses

An MP has called for clarity over wages for more than 100 workers following the closure of an engineering company.

Administrators said 105 members of staff at Gilks in Nantwich, Cheshire, were facing redundancy as the firm announced its closure after 60 years of trading.

Crewe and Nantwich Labour MP Connor Naismith said those affected by the company's closure had been told they must apply individually to the Insolvency Service for redundancy payments.

Some had contacted their local councillors to say they had not been given information about unpaid wages, adding they sought clarity about redundancy entitlements.

Naismith said he had written to the administrators overseeing the closure to press for assurances on the status of redundancy payments, outstanding wages and access to information.

He also requested redundancy support from the government's rapid response service.

"Going through a process like this is extremely destabilising, particularly where you have some employees who have worked at Gilks for many years and received the news with no warning," Naismith said.

"The most important thing is that residents now have the clarification they needed over the repayment process.

"I'll ensure that employees get the right support in transitioning to future employment and encourage them to contact my office if they experience any further issues."

He said administrators had confirmed to him that all employees had now received communications outlining the process for submitting insolvency and repayment claims, including a redundancy payments factsheet.

He would continue to monitor the process to ensure that all employees got the support they needed, he said.

Gilks collapsed into administration due to "financial pressures and wider sector challenges", administrator FRP said earlier this week.

Despite efforts to secure funding and explore restructuring options, joint-administrator Martyn Rickels said it was "not possible to achieve a viable solution".

He confirmed Gilks, which also had an office in Anglesey, ceased trading and 105 people had been made redundant.

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