Total Contempt For Tannoy Workers

Tannoy workers treated with "Total Contempt" as owner pulls plug on closure consultation.

GMB Scotland has today (Thursday 25 August) accused the chief executive of MUSIC, the parent company of Coatbridge speaker firm Tannoy, of treating its members facing imminent redundancy with ‘total contempt’.

Philippines based Uli Behringer, the self-styled ‘chief disrupter’ of the global audio equipment manufacturer, ended consultation with the devastated workforce as basic information requests for comparative production costs, plant rent costs and closure charges between Coatbridge and sister sites were left unanswered.

MUSIC has now confirmed that there will be no further collective consultations moving forward yet incredulously claim that they “remain committed to looking for ways to avoid dismissals.”

Behringer previously told workers by email in May that operations at Coatbridge would cease following the conclusion of a thirty day redundancy consultation period and manufacturing would be transferred to China at a cost of 70 skilled jobs.

Ude Adigwe, GMB Scotland Organiser, said, “This highly skilled and long-standing workforce has been treated with total contempt by Mr Behringer and his senior management from the outset.

“It’s bad enough that workers learned their livelihoods were under threat by an email sent from half-way around the world but they have now spent an entire summer talking to a brick wall in their efforts to try and save local employment.

“MUSIC’s latest decision to walk away from consultations suggests that they are now looking to get out of town as quickly as possible and with little to no concern of the impact on their workers.

“Sadly for our members and the North Lanarkshire economy, Mr Behringer has lived-up to his own billing.”

ENDS

Contact: Ude Adigwe, GMB Scotland Organiser, on 07912 560805 or Peter Welsh, GMB Scotland Communications, on 07976 447077.