Taxpayer pays £42 million for Wilko redundancies

Public subsidising more than a decade of mismanagement

GMB Union has reacted to the news former Wilko staff have received £42 million from the taxpayer

Nadine Houghton, GMB National Officer, said:

"The hard truth is that taxpayers are subsidising more than a decade of mismanagement at Wilko that condemned the much-loved chain to failure.

"Answers are long overdue, and Wilko's former management must account for their record when they face MPs next week.

"The Redundancy Payments Service provides an important safety net, and we urge any former Wilko staff who are entitled to a claim to contact the RPS.

"But it is also shameful that former Wilko workers with under two-years service are denied even statutory redundancy support because they don't have two years of service."