MP hitting ‘brick wall’ as Longbenton chaos continues
Glindon’s spokeswoman told FoodManufacture.co.uk this morning that the MP – who has met Longbenton MD Geir Frantzen in the last few months – was finding it hard to get any information about goings-on at the former Findus frozen foods site at Benton Lane, which has not produced anything since February 11, when staff were sent home without any explanation as to when they might return to work.
She said: “We’ve had no information whatsoever, and Mary is hitting brick walls all the time. She left lots of messages with the firm last week that met with no response. It’s a terrible situation for the staff, who all have mortgages and bills to pay.”
Staff cannot sign-on
One Benton Lane employee told this publication today that staff were still in the dark about when production might restart, beyond Frantzen’s comments to the Newcastle Chronicle last Friday that it could be within 8-10 days, although the businessman provided no guarantees.
With all phone lines and computers at Longbenton Foods down, the staff member said: “Employees cannot get in touch with anyone at the company, it all seems to be a waiting game and our patience is running out very quickly.
“We are now sick of waiting around wondering whether we will get paid in February. No-one can claim benefits without a final finish date.
“We all want the truth and nothing else,” he said, adding that employees did not know if they would get paid for days when they had been sent home, or whether direct debit charges (as a result of late payment of wages in January) would be met by the firm.
“In my opinion if the factory is going to close once and for all, then all employees should be told immediately. It’s prolonging the worry about mortgages, rent, bills, etc.”
Company phone disconnected
The employee added that he was unimpressed by Glindon's comments that she was shocked by recent events at the site: “If she had been in talks with Mr Frantzen for months, how could she not know what was going on?”
In a further twist, and amidst rumours of financial problems at Longbenton Foods (which recently saw a second site in Amble, Northumberland repossessed by its former administrator) the MD of a supplier firm contacted this publication to say that it filed a law suit against Longbenton yesterday over unpaid bills.
FoodManufacture.co.uk has repeatedly tried to contact Longbenton Foods for a comment, but the company’s phone line has been disconnected since last Friday.
