Bakers celebrate union victory

CHEATED bakery workers who learnt of their redundancies on the radio will share a near £500k compensation payout.

123 staff from Rathbones in Carlisle will receive 90 days pay – the maximum allowed in law – after an employment tribunal ruled that there was no consultation with employees or union reps before the job losses were announced to local media.

The hourly paid employees, who include bakery operatives, dispatchers and packers – many of whom had worked at the factory for more than 20 years – will receive an estimated £3,500 each.

They were represented at the tribunal by leading employment lawyer Sadiq Vohra, a partner at MWR solicitors in Preston.

Commenting on the case Sadiq said: “This is a tremendous victory for these workers who were treated appallingly by their bosses.

“Learning about their redundancies on the local news would have caused them terrible shock. The legal rights of these employees were not respected.

“At last they have the compensation they deserve. Some have managed to find work elsewhere but this hit them very hard.”

Problems began after the Rathbones factory at Durranhill was gutted by fire in February 2005.

Employees, represented by the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union (BFAWU), were in regular contact with company chiefs who assured them they could return to their posts when the factory was rebuilt.

In April union representatives were told no definite decision on the factory’s future had been made but days later workers heard they would lose their jobs in local media reports. They then received a letter confirming the news.

Sadiq continued: “When 20 or more people are being made redundant the law states there must be consultation with employees and union representatives on possible solutions.

“Nothing of this sort was done and as a result the BFAWU pursued a claim for lack of consultation.”

MWR Solicitors has over 50 employees. Its legal services include road traffic accidents, accidents at work, occupational diseases, employment law, wills and probate and conveyancing.