Workers dismissed by conference call win Tribunal

Almost 200 construction workers who were dismissed by Connaught in September 2010 following the collapse of the firm have won their Employment Tribunal cases and been given the maximum protection award.

The court heard that many of the workers were told that they were being dismissed by conference call, without any notice or consultation. The workers will now each receive substantial payouts.

The workers involved had been employed by Connaught on an outsourced housing maintenance and repairs contract, on behalf of One Vision, the principal housing association in Sefton. Following Connaught ’s collapse, many of the workers have subsequently been re-employed directly by One Vision, who took the decision to bring their housing maintenance work back in house.

Jimmy Woods, Acting Regional Secretary of UCATT North West, which represented the workers, said:
“This is an important victory for the workers who were dismissed in the most callous manner, through no fault of their own. Companies cannot ignore their legal responsibilities to their workforce and hope to get away with it.”

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The Sefton Employment Tribunal is the first case to reach the courts following the collapse of Connaught. UCATT has a series of other Employment Tribunal cases, which will be heard later this year.