Liberty Steel: Bosses say delayed wages due today - but cash crunch fears remain

Hundreds of employees in Rotherham and Stocksbridge were told to expect salaries in bank accounts after initially being warned they could be delayed until Monday.

HR director Mick Hood sent a staff email stating they had processed the payroll and apologising for any inconvenience.

Yesterday bosses blamed unpaid wages on ‘unforeseen timing issues’ leaving staff fearing for their jobs. Many have been on furlough for weeks due to a “severe market downturn.”

Some Liberty workers claimed there was no lack of orders, just a lack of cash.

One said: “We have an order book but bills have not been paid for items to keep machines operational, such as oils, gases and tooling. It’s frustrating!”

A customer said: “It’s worrying. As a Liberty customer who pays a hefty up front payment for products, this news doesn’t give me any faith my next order will be fulfilled. It’s already late. 

“The product is great, it’s about time Liberty was sorted out properly, no one knows what’s happening.”

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Liberty operates an electric arc steel-making furnace at its site at Aldwarke, Rotherham, and a rolling and finishing plant at Stocksbridge in Sheffield. They are part of the Speciality Steel division.

A Liberty Steel spokesperson said Speciality Steel had “healthy demand” for specialised products.

They added: “We are actively working with our customers to resume profitable production as soon as possible.”