Jobs fair for under threat Kidderminster carpet workers
A jobs fair is being held in Kidderminster to help people facing the loss of posts in the town's tradition al carpet industry.
Community, the trade union for carpet workers, has teamed up with Wyre Forest Conservative MP Mark Garnier to hold the event on Thursday, August 10, which will offer new opportunities for those carpet workers currently at risk of redundancy.
The recent announcement that Brintons will cut 60 jobs at its Stourport Road site was a big blow to the town’s proud tradition of carpet making that stretches back for hundreds of years.
Carpet manufacturing jobs are also going at 122-year-old Victoria in Kidderminster.
More than 60 posts are set to go with the transfer of manufacturing from Worcester Road to the group’s other two UK carpet making sites.
The jobs fair is open to all, and will take place in Kidderminster Town Hall between 11am and 3pm. More than 30 companies will be exhibiting, with information and new opportunities on offer. The companies involved include XPO Logistics, Tata Steel, Liberty Steel, BT, B&Q, Tooles Transport, Hewett Recruitment, Mitie and London Midland.
Gavin Miller, regional secretary for Community in the Midlands, said: “Community is proud to represent Kidderminster’s carpet workers. We are going through some tough times, and we know many workers are facing the threat of redundancy. Since news broke of the latest job cuts, we have been working to offer every support to members and their families.
“This jobs fair is there to support the whole town. Working with local businesses, training providers, and our MP, we have been able to put on an event that will hopefully lead to new opportunities and new employment for those workers who leave the carpet industry.”
Mr Garnier said he was concerned that 120 jobs had gone in recent weeks at Victoria and Brintons.
“The jobs fair is to respond to this and is being run with the Community union. It is an example of a Conservative MP working with a union to respond to an imoortant issue.”
He said Specsavers was going to be taking on 200 people in the town and there were other potential jobs coming on stream for the redundant carpet workers in the area.
