King workers unite to fight for pay-outs

THE fight to get former workers of Geo W King in Letchworth GC full compensation and redundancy payments is likely to end up in court.

Former workers, who lost their jobs at the company but have never received any redundancy cheques, gathered on Thursday at Mrs Howard Memorial Hall, in Letchworth GC, to hear what their union, Unite, and Herts Euro MP Richard Howitt are doing to put pressure on two companies to meet legal redundancy claims.

Geo W King and IBC Vans in Luton, where the workers' contracts were transferred to a site contractor, have both refused to pay any redundancy to the 30 workers who lost their jobs in Letchworth GC.

"These poor people are locked in a tug of war between both companies.

"Neither wants to help these poor people and put them out of their misery and we will have to take legal action at a tribunal," said Tony Ellingford, of Unite.

"I can guarantee one of them will lose because we have a good case. They even got their letters with their P45s in without a stamp on the envelopes and they had to go and pay �1.50 to get their letter which was awful.

"Some of these people worked for the company for 30 years and have been left in the wilderness and angry and they want justice."

MEP Richard Howitt believed the meeting with the workers was very constructive, saying: "What is happening here with workers left stranded is unacceptable.

"I will work with their union to make sure they get their rights either from Geo W King or IBC Vans.

"These men and their families have been disowned and ditched, left swinging between two companies without money or a job."

A spokesman for IBC Vans in Luton said: "We have nothing to say at the moment as this issue is going to a tribunal."

Geo W King's Coventry headquarters failed to respond to our request for a statement.