Opperman Mastergear sheds Newbury staff

Most employees at the firm's long-standing Newbury branch have been made redundant

THE majority of staff at one of Newbury's oldest, and formerly one its biggest, employers have been made redundant.

Employees at manufacturing firm Opperman Mastergear Ltd (OML) - formerly Opperman Gears - were recently informed by parent company Regal Beloit Corporation of a decision to transfer production of the Mastergear actuator product line from OML in Hambridge Lane to another Regal Beloit facility in Italy.

This is the latest round of redundancies at the firm, which has shed its workforce on a number of occasions over the past 25 years.

The company has confirmed this will affect 28 of 35 remaining employees at the firm, which has existed in Newbury since 1940, and most people employed there live locally.

Mastergear Worldwide vice president and general manager, Carroll Stein, said: “Regal Beloit's decision to transfer productions of the actuator product line is not a reflection of the quality of our employees here at OML.

“Rather, the decision is more about being able to meet the needs of our customers from a global competitive standpoint, and our ability to better service the market place.”

Members of staff affected are now working a period of 12 weeks notice, which it is understood will see them work until January 25.

One employee, who asked not to be named, said many local people across a broad spectrum of ages now face losing their jobs and trying to re-enter a tough jobs market, and that some staff had oonly ever worked at Opperman, clocking up more than 50 years with the company.

He said: “There is a sadness about the fact that this is happening after all these years and through circumstances out of our control, the heart and soul is being taken out of the company.”

The employee added that while staff understood that such commercial decisions had to be made, he did not think that it was forseen beforehand.

“We would prefer it not to be happening, but we are all resigned to it,” he said.

He added, however, that Regal Beloit had been completely upfront with staff during the whole process, adding that although staff wished it could be avoided, they had accepted the situation.

However, he said the staff would miss the relaxed atmosphere at the company.

“I think people are genuinely going to miss each other on a daily basis,” he said.

“It is like a big family of workers and working life is really quite pleasant.”