Computacenter axes Metrologie staff

TUPE or not TUPE, now that could turn out to be a very interesting question

Reseller giant Computacenter has laid off over 50 per cent of the workforce of Metrologie UK. Just two weeks after buying the former CHS Electronics division, Computacenter confirmed it had issued a notice of redundancy for 100 people. The cuts mostly affected employees from the distribution side of the acquired business, including around 30 warehouse staff. Phil Williams, head of corporate marketing at Computacenter, said: "We had to look at the overlaps with the current staff. We are trying to redeploy the 100 people within the Computacenter business." Williams said the company planned to shut down the Metrologie warehouse near High Wycombe and bring all the logistics into its warehouse in Radlet, and next year to its centre in Hatfield. On future job cuts, Williams said: "We are still restructuring the business, but this is the bulk of the redundancies". Martin Phillips, head of employment law at Kenneth Elliott & Rowe, said the redundancies could prove problematic for Computacenter. Although this whole area of employment law is extremely hazy, Phillips said: "They [the staff made redundant] may well have a case to take the company to a tribunal." "If the redundancies result from the transferring of the company to you, you can be on very sticky ground." Williams was adamant that the redundancies complied with the law. ® Related stories: Computacenter buys Metrologie