Tile company workers offered help

The company was founded by entrepreneur Henry Dennis in 1878

A council has offered to help 80 tile factory staff after the firm went into administrative receivership.

The Unite union said Dennis Ruabon workers in Wrexham had had no warning before being sent home and told there was no money to pay them this month.

The company has not commented publicly, but a manager said there were efforts to create a rescue package and there was still hope it could be taken over.

Staff can contact Gillian Jones at Wrexham Council on 01978 366366.

A council spokeswoman said: "Wrexham Council are keen to hear from Dennis Ruabon employees who are directly affected by the closure of the company."

The council has also urged workers not to contact their local job centre initially, but to call 0800 0556688 to arrange a "work-focussed interview".

For 80 years we were the only quarry tile maker in Wales and until Monday we were the last manufacturer in the UK Paul Pearson, senior manager

The company, which said it was the UK's only remaining quarry tile maker, has gone into administrative receivership.

Peter Hughes, regional officer for Unite, said the union was disappointed that workers were laid off without pay and proper notice.

He said: "There was absolutely no prior warning about this and no consultation".

Mr Hughes said the union would call workers to a meeting with a solicitor next week to try to ensure there will be no delay in processing claims for redundancy payments through a government-funded scheme.

The company has yet to comment publicly and telephone calls to the Johnstown plant are being diverted to an answering machine.

'Unique'

Paul Pearson, a senior manager, said the closure came just as it was trying to finalise a restructuring package to keep the business going.

He said it "ran out of time" and the bank called in receivers.

But he said he and other staff who had lost their jobs were still hopeful a rescue package could be worked out to enable Dennis Ruabon to be taken over as a going concern.

Mr Pearson, the company's technical services manager, said the business was established 125 years ago and its clay quarry tiles were still in high demand despite foreign competition from countries including China.

He added: "There is no other product like it - it's unique.

"It's still produced through a natural process that ticks all the green boxes.

"For 80 years we were the only quarry tile maker in Wales and until Monday we were the last manufacturer in the UK."