Shropshire Star

Nine jobs lost at Telford manufacturer Aga

Nine people have been made redundant at Aga in Telford.

Published
Aga factory in Ketley

The move is believed to have affected shop floor staff at the firm's branch in Ketley, which employs about 200 people.

It completes a traumatic 12 months for the oven manufacturer which saw its workforce at its historic Coalbrookdale foundry lose their jobs when it was closed last year.

A statement on behalf of AGA said: "A small number of roles at AGA in Ketley have been identified as being at risk of redundancy.

"To minimise the impact on those affected, the company has sought voluntary redundancies where possible and has entered into a consultation process with trade union representatives and those employees affected to ensure the process is managed with sensitivity."

Stuart Baker, regional officer for union Unite, said: "There are nine redundancies in total. We wanted just seven but the management refused this and gave business case reasons why.

"Individuals have been selected through a process agreed with the union to make it as fair as possible.

"We are mindful that this is another round of redundancies following the closure of the Coalbrookdale site last year."

Invented in Sweden, Agas had been made in Shropshire since the 1930s and their popularity with the middle classes and rural families made them legendary.

But in 2015 Aga Rangemaster, as the company was called, was sold to Illinois-based food services giant Middlebuy Corporation for £129 million.