Wilko workers offered guaranteed interviews to become bus drivers | UK News

A bus company promised to interview any former Wilko employee who applies for a driver job.

The Keighley Bus Company, owned by Transdev in West Yorkshire, posted on social media: ‘We are so sad to hear the news about Wilko and our support is with their team.

‘We’d like to offer all Wilko colleagues a guaranteed interview for a driving role – we’ll teach you how to drive a bus and pay for your training.’

Transdev runs services across Yorkshire, Lancashire and Greater Manchester and also owns Blackburn Bus Company, Rosso, Coastliner and Team Pennine.

It was announced this week that all of Wilko’s 12,500 workers are ‘likely’ to be made redundant after attempts to rescue the discount chain failed.

Some 52 branches of the high street store are set to close this week, but now all 400 shops will close next month.

The retailer was founded in Leicester in 1930.

Pepco said it will buy up to 71 stores and rebrand them as Poundland branches, and rival bargain chain B&M has also agreed to buy 51 of the buildings for £13 million.

The Range has now settled on a multi-million-pound deal to buy the Wilko brand and website, which means it will not disappear from the high street but instead appear inside The Range stores.

A rescue deal from Doug Putman, the billionaire owner of HMV, which could have saved some 300 branches fell through earlier this week.

At yesterday’s Prime Minister’s Questions Rishi Sunak pledged his support for all the workers affected by the collapse.

Tory former minister Brendan Clarke-Smith said: ‘This week we were hit by the devastating news that all Wilko stores would be closing, meaning the loss of 12,500 jobs.

‘Bassetlaw and Worksop are the home of Wilko’s HQ and a distribution centre, with 1,500 jobs set to go.’

He claimed ‘Wilko has been mismanaged for years’ and added: ‘Can the prime minister reassure my constituents and all those nationally affected by the demise of Wilko that he and the government will do everything in their power to help support people into jobs and make sure their redundancies and pensions are protected, and that we will take whatever action is available to us to hold the ownership to account?’

Mr Sunak replied: ‘As he knows, some of the topics that he raised will be commercial matters for the company.

‘I do know that this is a concerning time for workers at Wilko. The business secretary is keeping close to developments and we have already started supporting those who have been made redundant, and we stand ready to support others to the fullest of our abilities.’

Administrator PwC said it expects the brand’s online operations to recommence after Wilko’s shop closure programme ends in early October.

Some 36 workers from Wilko’s digital team will transfer over to the Range.

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