THE future of the Robin car could be in doubt after workers at the Suffolk factory where the cult vehicle is manufactured claimed they had been locked out without any explanation.
THE future of the Robin car could be in doubt after workers at the Suffolk factory where the cult vehicle is manufactured claimed they had been locked out without any explanation.
Staff at B & N Plastics, which manufactures the famous three wheeler at Acton, near Sudbury, say they were shocked to find the landlord of the premises locking up the factory as they turned up for work on Wednesday.
Factory owner Les Collier said the closure was only temporary, to allow him time to find the cash for unpaid rent. He also claims the four workers had already asked to leave the company and he had agreed to their request.
Mr Collier purchased the production rights to the Robin from Reliant in 2001. At one time Mr Collier had a workforce of 12 and to date has manufactured 18 of the vehicles.
But an ongoing business dispute between Mr Collier and Reliant has left him unable to obtain vital components. As a result the Suffolk company has been forced to stop production since November.
The four remaining workers at the factory claim they are being kept in the dark.
The works manager David Huggins and fellow factory workers David Walker, David Mills and Stephen Haynes, have now taken legal advice over the situation.
According to Mr Collier the dispute is due to be settled in court within the next few weeks.
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