The sudden closure of a factory in East Kilbride has placed 100 jobs at risk, with staff saying they were given no notice.

Valve Components, which provided components for the aerospace, oil & gas and petrochemical industries, entered insolvency with all staff set to lose their jobs.

Unite said that no notification was offered either to staff or the union as their representative.

It said it had approached a number of Glasgow based employers in the aerospace and manufacturing industries to explore the job opportunities for the Valve Components workers, and is in the process of contacting its Valve Components membership in order to progress protective award claims.

A protective award can be awarded where 20 or more employees are made redundant because an employer did not consult before any redundancy announcement. Employment tribunals can make various awards from 45 days to 90 days of full pay.

Sharon Graham Unite general secretary, said: “Unite will do everything it possibly can to support the Valve Components workers. We have already approached a number of Glasgow based employers to explore potential job opportunities for the workers.

“Yet again, another company appears to be breaching the law by not informing or consulting the workforce in a redundancy situation. Be in no doubt Unite will hold Valve Components and every other employer who breaches the law to account.” 

Debbie Hutchings, Unite industrial officer, said: “Valve Components worked largely within the aerospace sector, and it had employed highly-skilled workers for many years with some of the staff having been there for over 30 years.

“We were aware that the company had experienced financial difficulties due to a low order book and it had been looking for buyers. However, the news of insolvency came as a massive shock. It’s absolutely devastating news for the workers. It’s disgraceful that this was left so long to the point of putting the workforce out of a job with no notice or any warning.”

Valve Components has been contacted for comment.