Arlington Automotive is pushing their disabled workers into the gutter says GMB Union
Arlington Automotive is pushing their disabled workers into the gutter says GMB Union
A West Midlands firm is withholding more than £1 million in redundancy payments owed to disabled workers, GMB Union says.
Arlington Automotive, which makes car parts for Jaguar Land Rover, owes £1.1m in redundancy payments for 52 workers.
One worker stands to lose more than £56,000 in redundancy pay accrued over a lifetime of service.
The company, based in Birmingham and Coventry, has been placed in administration under Duff and Phelps. At least 20 staff members over the phone with immediate effect - despite some workers being hearing-impaired, non-verbal or unable to understand what being explained.
On Monday morning several hearing-impaired workers turned up for their scheduled shifts having received no communication about their redundancies at all.
The situation between Arlington and their administrators Duff and Phelps appears dysfunctional, with the automotive firm’s HR department only finding out about the firm going into administration via the media.
Becky Mitchell, GMB Organiser said:
“This is some of the lowest behaviour we’ve ever seen from a firm; sacking disabled workers over the phone and then trying to take away their hard-earned redundancy payments.
“Arlington Automotive is pushing disabled workers into the gutter.
“At least 20 members of staff were called and sacked over the phone. HR told our workers to go and claim money off the Government.
“They’re disabled, many of them can’t read or write, how are they going to do that?
“We won’t stand for this despicable treatment of our members, many of whom are disabled and suffer with mental health problems.
“The fact they are choosing to do this mid-pandemic shows you just how little they care for working people.”
