Raging Dawnfresh workers in an ‘uproar’ after wages not paid
Employeesclaimtohavelostoutoncompensation
Workers at Dawnfresh Seafoods have told of their disgust at being made redundant after claiming some did not even receive their wages the week the site closed.
Employees at the Uddingston factory were let go on March 1 as the company announced that it was going into administration. That left 200 workers without a job – and raised fears about redundancy payments.
One of those workers suffering the impact of the devastating news, told of “an uproar” at the local site as men and women found out about their weekly wages.
The employee, who wishes to remain anonymous, said a letter was issued last year, promising thousands of pounds worth of payments due to him through redundancy for his 15 years of service, should he stay until the end of June 2022.
However, the worker claims that he will not be compensated and may need to wait up to six weeks for any support through the Scottish Government.
The Dawnfresh employee told us: “They promised us that we would get our redundancies, they would pay our 12 weeks’ notice, and also pay our £2000 retention fee to stay until June this year.
“Then they came in, did what they did and we didn’t even get paid that week.
“Now we need to claim our redundancy through the government.
“I honestly think that they knew what they were doing from the start and that they gave us the letters just to keep us all there as long as they could.
“I was there 15 years. “I know they kept 60 people on, and they were told they would get paid and get a £1000 bonus for staying on.
“I was raging.
“I feel let down.
“I have worked there all my years, gave them all my time, and that’s how they thank me.”
The Lanarkshire worker told how he was still bringing in deliveries to the factory on the Tuesday morning before everyone was gathered in two groups to be told that they were out of a job. He added: “I’ve been left without a job.
“I’m now trying to find work elsewhere, but they still haven’t sent out all my certificates – like my forklift licences and things like that.
“When they announced it, they took the first lot in who were told they were the ones getting kept on and sent them home that day, but they were to come back the next day.
“Then they took the next lot in and told us we weren’t going to be getting our wages, and to just go.
“There was an uproar. People were walking out, kicking machines and everything. They were absolutely raging.
“And it’s understandable because there will be some people there who are probably on the breadline.
“For those people working week-to-week, what do they do now to feed their child?”
Mark Mchugh of Bakers Food and Allied Workers
Union also hit out at the treatment of the workers.
He said: “The treatment of the workers has been nothing short of disgraceful.
“The consultation process and months of empty promises was built on a foundation of lies and deceit.
“It’s absolutely shocking. “Once the company made the announcement, the union was never notified.
“We’ve had a relationship with the company for around 20 years.”
The trade union have also taken the position that they hope the Scottish Government can step in to help workers who have lost their job by paying them any lost wages and additional money that they are entitled to.
It’s understood that many long-serving employees at the Uddingston factory now face having to reach out to foodbanks for support after the sudden loss of their income, a representative of Bakers Food and Allied
Workers Union told us. Meanwhile, local politicians have continued to fight the corner of workers at the Lanarkshire site, including Monica Lennon MSP who said “workers feel betrayed” when she raised the issue at Holyrood.
“With a cost of living crisis biting, no one should be short-changed at this present time”, she added.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said that she was “concerned” and called for “the fairest possible treatment” of employees at Dawnfresh.
She also stressed that Scottish Enterprise will explore all possibilities to rescue jobs.
When asked about the pay issues from the Dawnfresh closure, a spokesman for the joint administrators, Tom Maclennan, Callum Carmichael and Michelle Elliot, partners with FRP Advisory, said: “Any staff that believe that they are owed wages or other payments up to February 28 are being actively encouraged to lodge a claim with the Redundancy Payments Office.
“The joint administrators are stressing that they will provide any affected staff with as much assistance as possible with the process.
“All claims will be dealt with by the Insolvency Service within their 12-week mandatory period.”
There was an uproar. People were walking out, kicking machines and everything. They were absolutely raging. It’s understandable because some people are probably on the breadline