Julian seeks meeting with Shepherd Group after closure announcement for Portastor of Huntington
July 17, 2019
I have today contacted local business the Shepherd Group, Portastor’s parent company, to request a meeting on the planned closure of this firm, so I can receive a detailed update on what this means for Portastor employees, and see if there is anything I can do to assist them at this difficult time.
Portastor currently employs 75 people, and Shepherd Group have informed me that they are beginning consultation with the workforce today on how to handle the winding up of the business.
They have told me this restructuring follows recent attempts to sell the company, and that the operations of the larger Portakabin business, based in York, will continue unaffected.
I would expect Shepherd Group to keep any redundancies to a minimum, and both look seriously at finding jobs in other parts of their business for as many Portastor workers as possible, and take urgent steps to minimise the impact of the closure on affected employees and their families.
The closure of Portastor is a disappointment given the prosperity of York’s overall economy, with unemployment locally well below the national average, and the sustained success of Portakabin within the Shepherd Group, as a world-class modular building company that wins export orders abroad from our city.
I encourage anyone with concerns about today’s sad news to get in touch if I can be of help, and hope to have my meeting with the leadership of Shepherd Group arranged shortly.
