The Citizen, 2013-02-07, Page 22PAGE 22. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2013.Employees say they’ll miss friends above all else
Taking aim
The Huron County Dart League was busy competing over
the weekend at the Blyth Legion. Making the short trip to his
neighbouring town was member of the Brussels Legion Eric
Ross, a member of The Misfits. (Vicky Bremner photo)
Snow covers all
Two weeks ago a brutal fire leveled the MDL Doors factory near Brussels. The company has
decided against rebuilding as it isn’t feasible at this point. (Denny Scott photo)
Continued from page 20that they couldn’t do it.”After the announcement was madeat the meeting held at the company’stemporary headquarters, theBrussels Business and CulturalCentre, the floor was open forquestions, but there weren’t manyasked, she said.Noble said that deep down she
knew that the company wouldn’t
rebuild, a sentiment that was shared
by many of her fellow employees.
Mary Ann Thompson, who was in
her 11th year with the company, said
that she had spent the days since the
fire hoping and praying that she and
the over-100 other MDL employees
would have jobs to return to.
“We were all just left asking ‘what
are we going to do?’” Thompson
said. “We’re still asking that.”
While her mind first turned to her
job and the loss of income that she
would incur, Thompson’s thoughts
soon turned to “her family” meaning
the rest of the MDL Doors staff.
“These were all friends, it wasn’t
just a job to us,” Thompson said.
Some employees, however, were
left wondering what was next. As the
Ontario Fire Marshal’s investigation
continued at the site, Thompson said
there was little official word from
the company and employees were
left to communicate on their own.
In fact, she said, before the Jan. 31
meeting, an employee-called
meeting was held explaining things
like pay cheques and filing for
unemployment in the time being, as
employees did not yet know that
they would soon be out of a job
permanently.
Thompson said that in terms of
communication, the company
“failed” them in that employees
were left to discover the next steps
on their own.
She said that as a result of the lackof communication, some employeeswere left with some bitter feelings inthe days following the fire.At the Jan. 31 meeting, Thompsonsaid, the mood was sombre and insome ways it resembled a funeral.“We heard exactly what we didn’twant to hear, even though we knewdeep down that this was what was
going to happen,” she said.
Then, Thompson said, as
employees filed out of the
gymnasium of the Brussels Business
and Cultural Centre, a greeting line
of sorts formed, similar to that at a
funeral.
Thompson said that all the
employees were waiting to greet the
owners, the Lichty family, and say
goodbye to them one last time.
Still, after saying her goodbyes,
Thompson said it took a while for
the finality of the situation to sink in.
“We were sad, but it soon started
to sink in. Yes, this is real. Yes, this
happened. Yes, this is done,”
Thompson said.
Noble, on the other hand, says she
isn’t in as dire of a situation as some,
as she had been working part-time at
TD Canada Trust in addition to
MDL Doors. So when she returns
from maternity leave, she should be
able to land on her feet. What upsets
her, however, is that not all of the
company’s former employees will
be as lucky.
However, as time goes on, both
Noble and Thompson are confident
that many of the company’s former
employees will remain friends due
to the company’s family-like
atmosphere.
“We were so family-oriented. It
was really hard to say goodbye,”
Noble said. “There was a real
closeness, a lot of long-lasting
relationships.”
Blyth ~ 519-523-4792 • Brussels ~ 519-887-9114
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