Laird yard closes

A dispute between the owner of the former Cammell Laird shipyard and its tenant Northwestern Shiprepairers has led to 32 people losing their jobs. Northwestern vacated the site after failing to reach agreement with landlord Reddington Finance for an extension to its tenancy.

The ship repair firm acquired what was an A&P Group operation in May but shortly afterwards Reddington invoked a clause in the lease which required Northwestern to quit within three months. Northwestern joint owner John Syvret said earlier this week he hoped an agreement could be reached with Reddington before yesterday’s deadline.

Reddington’s Gerry White claimed an extra six months was on offer, but Syvret insisted it was only three adding that was not adequate to make the business viable.

No agreement was reached so yesterday morning Syvret called a meeting of his 32 staff and told them they were being made redundant. By the afternoon they had been handed their redundancy cheques. Staff have voiced their frustration because they have all lost their jobs over what appears to be a personality conflict between Syvret and White.

Earlier this week White claimed Northwestern had offered around £6m to purchase part of the site. Former Cammell Laird director Syvret confirmed he was interested in an acquisition but would not discuss figures. Syvret owns 40% of Northwestern with 50% being owned by Mersey Dock and Harbour Company. Southampton-based A&P has a 10% stake.