Union slams EDC factory closure

THE GMB trade union has hit out at the decision to close a CD factory in Blackburn, insisting it is still a workable business.

Around 260 workers will lose their jobs when Entertainment Distribution Company closes its CD and DVD manufacturing plant at Whitebirk, Blackburn.

The company has been operating from the site for the last 27 years but US-based owner EDCI Holdings has announced that it will shift production to its other factory in Hannover, Germany at the end of December.

Graham Coxon, GMB organiser, said: “Recent orders show the factory is viable. It has come down to a straight choice. It is easier to close a factory in England than it is in Germany. 

“EDC has factories in Blackburn and Hanover and it is no surprise that the Blackburn factory is to close.”