Sacked workers win settlement

Former employees of a nowdefunct construction company have won a £250,000 compensation award after they were made redundant last year with less than a day’s notice.

Bosses at Land Engineering Scotland, which went under last July, failed to consult its workforce about the job losses, putting it in breach of UK employment law.

The civil engineering firm had a site office in Dunfermline before it collapsed with the loss of 135 jobs.

Law firm Thompsons Solicitors stepped in to act for dozens of former staff and helped them win what is known as a protective award.

The team at Thompsons has previously won similar awards for workers sacked after the Tullis Russell paper mill in Markinch went bust.

David Martyn, a partner in the firm’s employment law department, said: “This is a fantastic result for former Land Engineering staff.

“These were people who would have been left with minimal statutory payments had we not undertaken this legal action. All too often company directors think they can flout the law and cast workers aside with little or no notice of redundancy.

“It’s very important the UK Insolvency Service uses the powers it has to prosecute company directors who behave in this manner. This would act as a strong deterrent against bosses behaving in this shabby and illegal way.”