TWENTY-SIX employees of a former Nelson company have been told they are to receive compensation after being made redundant last December.

An employment tribunal in Manchester made a protective award to the group of workers made redundant on or about December 28, 2000, from CDW Realisations Ltd -- formerly Country Decor Wallcoverings Ltd -- because the company failed to properly consult with them or their representatives.

They will receive wages covering a 45-day period which is expected to work out at around £1,500 each.

Workers representative Karen Deighton made a complaint about the way the company had proposed to make 20 or more employees redundant.

A summing up by the Tribunal said: "Accordingly the respondent (Country Decor) should have consulted about the dismissals all persons who are appropriate representatives of the employees who may be affected by the proposed dismissals or may be affected by measures taken in connection with those dismissals.

"That consultation should have begun in good time and, in any event, given that the respondent was proposing to dismiss fewer than 100 employees, at least 30 days before the first of the dismissals took effect."

The notice of the proposed redundancies was given by the company on November 24, 2000 and the dismissal of the employees took effect on or about December 28, 2000.

Country Decor went in to liquidation earlier this year.

Mrs Deighton was found to be an appropriate representative by the tribunal.

The summary continued: "The respondent did not consult with Mrs Deighton or other appropriate representatives about the ways of avoiding the dismissals, reducing the number of employees to be dismissed or mitigating the consequences of those dismissals." The tribunal found Mrs Deighton's complaint 'well-founded' and made an award for 45 days pay.

The current company operating in Nelson under the name 'Country Decor Wallcoverings Ltd' has no connection to the one involved in this tribunal.