Twenty-one former workers with the Accident Group who were sacked
by text message by the now-defunct claims company were awarded
compensation at an employment tribunal on Wednesday. It found they
had been "cynically manipulated."
Twenty-one former workers with the Accident Group who were sacked by text message by the now-defunct claims company, were awarded compensation at an employment tribunal on Wednesday. It found they had been "cynically manipulated."
The no-win, no-fee injuries claims company collapsed in May this year, with debts of more than £30 million, including unpaid wages. The first that many of its employees knew of the problems was when a text message was sent to their mobile phones indicating that their wages would not be paid.
Twenty-one employees brought a test case before an employment tribunal, claiming what is known as a 'protection award' – a statutory payment by the Government amounting to £260 per week, for 90 days work, in lieu of notice.
The tribunal in Ashford granted the awards after finding that the senior management knew since January that the company was unlikely to survive.
Tribunal chairman Anthony Druce said, “The staff were being cynically manipulated to keep the company running until the last moment.â€
He concluded: "There was no attempt at consultation so we, therefore, find that the claim is successful."
It is expected that many of the other ex-employees will bring similar claims.
See also: Sacking by text message, OUT-LAW News, 21/05/2003
