Redundant employees turn to MP for help

Since announcing that 2e2 had gone into administration two weeks ago, the Newbury Weekly News has received reports that the 62 employees made redundant earlier in January from the Benham Valence office in Speen, were given neither notice nor any pay for January, despite working almost the entire month.
However, the 58 redundancies ann-ounced at the same office last week received full pay.
One former employee, who asked not to be named but who lives in the Newbury area, said: “We were called into the office with no notice at all.
“The administrators were there and we were told we were going – no notice or anything.
“We were told that we weren’t going to get paid for January and that we would have to claim from the insolvency service for our pay and our redundancy.”
A spokeswoman for the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service, Clare Carter, said that the company had not broken any employment laws as legislation changed when a company went into administration.
She added that former employees could claim any unpaid wages and redundancy through the redundancy payments service within six months of being made redundant.
Mr Benyon said: “I have been contacted by some constituents who have been made redundant by 2e2.
“I am very concerned to hear that these people are owed wages for time worked and I am writing to the administrator to ask why they have not been paid.
“Ultimately, my influence on this is very limited, but I will do all I can.
“I have advised ex-employees to get legal advice, and they can do this through the Citizens Advice Bureau.”
The administrator FTI Consulting said that it would not comment on the situation of staff made redundant before 2e2 went into administration, but stressed that those made redundant in February were paid appropriately.
Meanwhile, communication giant O2 said last week that it was to take on more than 100 of the employees recently axed by 2e2, 14 of which are from Newbury.