Around 300 staff have lost their jobs after the collapse of a computer technology firm.

Staff at the company’s Livingston factory have been made redundant following a meeting on Christmas Eve.

The employees had been sent home on Thursday after being told they may not be paid before Christmas and to prepare for redundancies in the New Year.

Now 310 of the 338 workers have been told they have no jobs and won’t receive redundancy payments for six weeks.

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Blair Nimmo and Alistair McAlinden had been appointed as joint administrators of Kaiam Europe Limited (KEL) and Kaiam UK Limited.

He said he was still confident a buyer would be found but would not guarantee the work force would be retained.

He said: “We fully recognise that redundancies at this time of year are particularly difficult.

“Our main focus during this challenging period is to work with all affected employees alongside Scottish Enterprise, Skills Development Scotland and West Lothian Council to ensure that the full range of support is available to them.

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“Partnership Action for Continuing Employment (PACE), the Scottish Government’s partnership framework for responding to redundancy situations, has already mobilised and can be contacted on 0800 917 8000 for support. We are also liaising with the UK Government in relation to the timing of redundancy payments via the Insolvency Service.

“In the short term, we are exploring all available options for a sale of the business and would encourage any interested parties to contact us as soon as possible.”

Meeting: Workers were told they had lost their jobs.

Kaiam Corporation, which is based in California, produces optical communications products.

Its move to Livingston was supported by a grant of £850,000 from Scottish Enterprise.

The parent company is not affected by the recent appointment of administrators.

Minister for Business, Fair Work and Skills Jamie Hepburn, said: “The employees affected by today’s announcement from Kaiam Livingston are our immediate priority and we will do everything in our power to help those affected by redundancy.

It is an especially difficult time of the year for employees to learn such news.

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“Scottish Enterprise has been working closely with Kaiam to explore all possible options to support the business and its staff, and I am disappointed that a solution could not be found to turn the company’s situation around.

Scottish Enterprise will work with the administrators to understand the potential options for the business going forward and explore all possibilities to rescue the jobs.”

Scottish Labour MSP Neil Findlay said: “This is a bitter blow for the workforce, who have been treated appallingly by bosses at Kaiam throughout this process.

“People being told they are losing their jobs on Christmas Eve is simply disgraceful.

“What matters now is that every effort is made to support the workers and their families, who have been failed so badly.”