Elves to pay over Xmas job
DOZENS of Santa’s little helpers are out of pocket in a dispute over festive pay.
More than 100 people who worked as elves at the Santa’s Cove in Braehead shopping centre for six weeks before Christmas are owed thousands of pounds in total.
They were due to receive their pay for the final week’s work, believed to amount to over £27,000, in January but were emailed by their agency, GBM Casting, to say payment had been delayed.
All outstanding wages were then supposed to be paid on Monday – but there was a further delay.
One worker said: “A lot of us were relying on that money to pay bills and some are in financial difficulties.
“People are scared to say anything because it’s their livelihoods we’re talking about. Most are actors and the industry here is small.”
Santa’s Cove was set up by Irish company BFK Ventures Ltd. In emails to workers, GBM said BFK were unwilling to meet the full bill.
Fiona Miller, of GBM, said: “Wages have been paid for five out of six weeks but we are awaiting the last payment from BFK, which staff were due to receive in January.
“We are a relatively small organisation and don’t have the capital to pay them ourselves.”
Last night, BFK director Finbar O’Toole promised the wages would be paid, saying: “We have paid around 90 per cent of wages to GBM including partial payment for the final week.
“But their payroll system can’t pay it out until we pay them the rest. We are hoping to make the final payment by the end of this week.”