Staff were allegedly given only three hours warning their store would close
Sayers on St Mary’s Road, Garston is among the stores to have closed recently
Workers at Sayers and Pound Bakery who lost their jobs in a recent round of store closures claim they have not been paid for hours they have already worked. Some former staff members claim the company which owns the bakeries, S&PB Retail, informed their teams on September 5 that their stores would close on the same day, but that they would be paid for their work.
Some workers have claimed they were then told yesterday (Friday, September 11) that they would not be paid by the company and would have to rely on claiming cash through a government scheme.
Last month, the company announced plans to close around 19 Sayers stores at the end of August, citing the fact that they were “no longer commercially viable”. Over 30 stores across the country have since been listed as “permanently closed” on Google.
The full list of affected sites was never confirmed by the company. The ECHO has requested details of the proposed closures on numerous occasions but received replies of no comment, or “no further comment”.
Earlier this week, the ECHO spoke to a member of staff who said they were given just 24 hours’ notice that their store would close the following day. Closures have continued across Merseyside, with Pound Bakery on Townfield Way in Liscard one of the latest branches to shut its doors.
Former staff member Lynn Harrison, 64, from Wallasey, told the ECHO the store’s area manager informed staff on the morning of September 5 the shop would close at 12.30pm and all employees would be made redundant.
Lynn said: “Obviously everyone was in a panic. We were in shock. There was only three of us in at the time so the other staff coming in later had to be told later. I knew they were closing a couple in August but we were told we were not one of them.
“We all thought our jobs were fine. I didn’t have any idea.”
Lynn claims staff were asked to count and run down the remaining stock until the shop closed. She said: “It was such a shock. You just carry on as you do but looking back it’s stupid. I wasn’t in the right frame of mind. I wish I would’ve put my keys down and walked out.”
Lynn said she is yet to be paid for 26 hours of work, which totals around £350. However, yesterday morning (September 11), the business told staff it was not able to make payment for hours worked up to and including the closure of stores.
In an email seen by the ECHO, S&PB Retail said a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) proposal was denied and monies owed to staff in respect of “outstanding wages will be dealt with through the government Redundancy Payment Scheme (RPS)”.
To make a claim through the RPS, a reference number is required. Lynn said she has not yet received one. The company’s email states that reference numbers will be available by the end of the week ending September 20.
Lynn added: “I haven’t received anything. Not a code or payment. Until I receive either of those things, I don’t know what to do.”
Tanya Carter, 36, from Birkenhead, worked in the Sayers site in Rock Ferry. Tanya claims management informed staff at 10am on September 5 that the shop would close permanently at 2pm, and that she had been made redundant.
She told the ECHO: “I started my shift at midday but they rang me at 11am to tell it was closing. They asked if I could come in just for a few hours to count the stock and wipe down the shop. They promised I’d be paid for my hours but I haven’t received anything. I’m owed.”
Tanya also received the S&PB Retail email stating the business does not have enough cash to make payment for hours. She is now awaiting a reference number to make a redundancy claim through the RPS. She added: “I’m owed around £200. I don’t know what i’m going to do.”
The ECHO contacted S&PB Retail for a response to the employees’ claims and concerns, and has continued to request a full list of completed or planned store closures.
