Dozens of Aberdeen paper mill workers win lost jobs claim

Dozens of former workers at an Aberdeen paper mill have won a legal action over claims they were made redundant without being properly consulted.

Stoneywood paper mill - which operated for more than 250 years - went into administration in 2022.

A mass legal action was lodged by the Unite union on behalf of the workers, claiming that they had not been consulted properly on redundancies.

An employment judge has now ruled about 75 are entitled to compensation.

The overall action involves about 300 former workers and the other claims are ongoing.

Joint administrators from Interpath Advisory said they did not wish to comment.

Unite legal officer Mark Lyon welcomed the judgement and said protective awards would now be made in full.

But he added: "This is only the first in a series of judgements covering around 75 of the 300 members, and other claims are pending.

"The judgement demonstrates that even after an employer goes out of business, if they have not done things according to the law then Unite will hold them to account even long after the business has closed its doors.

"In this first case our members have received some justice and compensation for the way in which they were poorly treated."

A previous separate action on behalf of five workers was also successful.

In 2019, the business was sold to a new parent company, securing the jobs at the mill.

However, administrators were appointed in September 2022.

The mill's problems were blamed on the Covid pandemic and the economic challenges facing industrial manufacturing businesses, including rising energy costs.