Staff at troubled mail order firm Grattan are to receive notice their employment will end on Christmas Eve.

Workers at the Bradford call centre are to receive notice that their employment will end the day before Christmas as part of the company’s bid to shed 1,000 jobs.

A union spokesman said the date of December 24 was brought up as a concern with the company, although it did mean staff have stayed on longer than expected.

A Freeman Grattan Holdings (FGH) spokesman said the 517 people currently at the call centre will no longer be working there by Christmas Eve, although he did expect a number of those to find work elsewhere beforehand.

The spokesman said: “Originally this was planned to close in June, but following discussions with our unions and staff representatives we were pleased to be able to extend this to September and now to the end of the year, giving our colleagues several months more employment with us.”

FGH, which is part of the Otto retail group, said it had not yet issued letters to staff.

Usdaw national officer David Johnson said: “Christmas Eve was not ideal, but it was an extension of what people expected, really.”

The Listerhills distribution centre, which employs about 374 people, is still under review, which Unite regional officer Christian Ratcliffe said was a concern.

Mr Ratcliff said: “What they have said is they have extended their commitment to keep people employed and although it does look bad, people leaving on Christmas Eve, it still has been a few more months of work. I would sooner they did it on Christmas Eve than the 23rd, as it means they get an extra day, but I appreciate what it looks like.”