Hundreds of workers face axe at bed factory

The potential loss of hundreds of jobs at Rest Assured, Soothill, has been described as “a tragedy” for the area.

The Silentnight Group is proposing the transfer of the Rest Assured business to its Barnoldswick site in Pendle, where the company was founded.

More than 100 jobs in Lancashire would be created by the move, but employees have claimed staff at the Batley factory were given no option to transfer and remain with the company following the announcement at a meeting last Friday.

The Silentnight Group is now consulting with staff and trades unions about the proposed closure.

The company says announcing plans to shut the factory does not mean it will not consider alternative proposals. But it has admitted that Batley is unable to accommodate a projected new business pipeline, whereas Barnoldswick is.

Staff at the site, in Mill Forest Way, are now fearing the worst.

Employee Tony Daniel, 55, of Chickenley, has worked at the company for almost 10 years.

He said: “It’s a tragedy for Batley. I wish there was something we could do.”