Company forced to pay

Firm offered ‘absolutely no consultation’ over job cuts

A CASUALTY of the McGill collapse has been ordered to pay three months’ worth of wages to an ex-employee after telling him his job was safe days before going into administration.

Land and Building Services (L&BS) laid off its staff on January 29 just days before McGill – its biggest client – went bust.

However, an employment tribunal heard that L&BS bosses had told employees their jobs were safe just two weeks beforehand.

Scott Wilson, a former ganger at the firm, has been awarded a protective award of 90 days’ pay after successfully arguing that he had not been treated fairly before the company’s collapse.

Judge Ian McFatridge ruled that staff had been offered “absolutely no consultation” before the firm closed its doors, and considered it appropriate to make an award.

The tribunal heard Mr Wilson had started with L&BS in 2016 and heard rumours of its troubles in mid-January this year – rumours that were denied by bosses.

However, Mr Wilson received two phone calls on January 29 from his managers to advise him that the firm was being wound up.

In all, 23 employees were dismissed that day. L&BS waited for a week to confirm the news following McGill’s administration.

Mr McFatridge concluded: “In the present case the claimant was not provided with any of the information which he ought to have been.

“There was no absolutely consultation with the workforce and therefore no opportunity of proposing alternative measures which might have avoided or reduced the need for redundancy. In my view there were no mitigating circumstances to justify a reduction from the maximum period.”

The tribunal decision could open the firm up to further claims.

Administrators Campbell Dallas acknowledged Mr Wilson’s tribunal in June, but chose not to represent at the hearing.

Campbell Dallas and Mr Wilson did not respond to a request for comment today.

The Land and Building Services premises on South Road.