POCKLINGTON'S biggest employer has gone into receivership with the loss of 79 jobs - but a further 54 jobs have been saved, it was announced today.

Devastated staff at Convergent Communications were told yesterday afternoon to leave the company's premises at Blenheim House, York Road, Pocklington.

They would not be receiving their monthly pay cheque, due today.

One employee said: "A lot of people have broken down and gone home in disbelief. There are a lot of upset and angry people."

A spokeswoman from Ernst and Young, handling the receivership, said a third contingent of 21 people had been kept on to secure a sale of the mobile airtime part of the business.

She confirmed 79 jobs had been axed, but a last-minute sale of Convergent's field engineering and repairs division to Fone Logistics had saved the jobs of a further 54 individuals.

The future of Convergent's 21 remaining employees would depend on whether a sale could be achieved.

The total number of Convergent's workforce was reported to be 220 earlier this year. It was unclear today precisely how many staff remained.

The Ernst and Young spokeswoman said wages would not be paid by the company, but staff would receive money from the government's redundancy fund.

Ian Gillespie, managing direcor tof Fone Logistics, said it was going to relocate the engineering and repairs division to Pocklington Industrial Estate, just yards away from Convergent. He also plans to pay the 54 workers for the last month they have worked for Convergent.

He said: "It's important that we get the morale back and look after the customers, because that is the future."

Giles Taylor, of Barmby Moor, has worked in the sales and marketing department of the telecommunications company - formerly JWE - for about four months. He was one of several staff who walked out before the final redundancies were made.

He said yesterday: "Morale was terrible. The worst thing is that quite a lot of people have been there most of their working lives.

"They are going to lose their pensions and any redundancy they would have been entitled to."

Another employee, who lives in York, said: "A lot of people were in tears. The bank knew on Monday we weren't going to be paid. That is why most people were angry."

A member of staff from Convergent's distribution department said: "There are people who have been at the company since day one and they have walked away with virtually nothing."

Shares in Convergent were frozen on the stock market at the end of May after the company ran into financial problems during the downturn in the telecoms industry.

Updated: 11:02 Friday, June 27, 2003