WEDGWOOD workers are furious that agency staff have been taken on just days after they were told their jobs were redundant.

Employees from the decorating department of the Barlaston-based pottery were issued with redundancy notices on August 5 following a 90-day consultation period.

The consultation, led by senior managers at WWRD Holdings, the company set up to run Wedgwood and Royal Doulton on behalf of private equity firm KPS, finished last Saturday.

Staff are still waiting for an announcement on the overall number of job losses.

Members of the decorating team, many of whom have worked for the firm for many years, were shocked to find out that three temporary staff members began work on Tuesday.

A team member, who asked to remain anonymous, said: "Everyone is disgusted. It feels like a kick in the teeth. About eight of us were told our jobs were no longer needed, yet the company is taking on more people to do our jobs. We cannot understand what is going on."

The source said redundancy packages have been discussed, but staff have not yet been told when they will have to leave their positions.

The staff member said: "Everything is up in the air. We are wondering why these agency staff are here."

A spokesman for WWRD Holdings said the extra staff have been taken on to cope with orders for the Christmas period.

He said: "A number of employees have been made redundant from the decorating arm of the business. This is a product of the 90-day consultation period and is not a new announcement of job losses.

"Because the firm is now getting into its orders for the Christmas period, to fulfil that need the firm has taken on a small number of temporary staff.

"The members of the decorating arm who have been told their jobs are redundant are currently still employed by the company. It is likely they will be told when they have to leave when a final announcement is made about job losses in the near future."

Stoke South MP Rob Flello said he was "shocked" and "concerned" to hear about the appointment of agency staff.

He said: "I shall be contacting the trade union and company to find out what is going on and looking into the legalities of this.

"If someone is made redundant, it should be because their job no longer exists. But if staff are being taken on the next day, this is clearly not the case. It is not on at all."

Waterford Wedgwood fell into administration in January with debts of more than £400 million, and administrator Deloitte subsequently axed 359 workers at Barlaston. A report prepared by Deloitte revealed the firm owed more than £8.7m to almost 900 creditors when it collapsed.

When New York-based KPS bought Wedgwood and Doulton, politicians said they feared Barlaston would become a token manufacturing site, making high-end, one-off pieces and providing an attraction for tourists from across the country and overseas.