Sussex Engraving Company

This company, part of the F. J. Parsons group, closed down in December 1979. The company had traded for well over 50 years. All 22 employees had received redundancy notices on the 21st of December. The company produced plates for the Hastings & St Leonards Observer and the ex-employees formed a picket and commenced industrial action which led to the loss of 5 issues of the paper between the 15th of March and 12th of April. A compromise agreement was reached by the 19th of April permitting the production of that week's issue and subsequent papers, although the Observer suffered a number of industrial disputes in the years following.