Bakery staff win £100,000 payout

Eighteen former employees who lost their jobs when a Shropshire bakery chain closed have won a £100,000 payout after an employment tribunal.

Former staff at TO Fine Foods Ltd, which had stores in Wem, Whitchurch, Shawbury and Market Drayton, complained of not being paid for overtime for up to two years and receiving no redundancy pay when they lost their jobs.

Some of those affected told Birmingham Employment Tribunal yesterday they carried on working overtime without pay to help keep the firm going.

They said they were promised payments would eventually be made but they never were and one employee even loaned one of his bosses money.

Former bakery workers Susan Carson, Roy Davies, Sandra Jones and Warren Williams attended the tribunal to make the compensation claims for themselves and on behalf of 14 others, including Valerie Gower, Helen James, Margaret Kidd, Amanda Field, Dorothy Jones, Joan Webster, Kevin Jones and Sybil Rawlings.

The firm did not attend the hearing.

TO Fine Foods Ltd was a separate company created when the family behind the original TO Williams Ltd chain, founded in 1935, sold it to new operators in 2008. The new company went into liquidation last year.

Miss Christine Morse of Shrewsbury Citizens Advice Bureau, who represented the claimants, said a total of 26 employees had lost their jobs following the firm's closure.

Mr Williams of Moss Side, Wem, said he had worked overtime for two years without pay – a total of £8,944.

"I was told I would eventually be paid my overtime pay but I wasn't and it just kept building up," he said.

Mr Alliot awarded Mr Williams, who had been employed by the firm for nine years, a total of £12,951 – including his overtime pay.

Mr Davies who had 25 years service was awarded £11,716 and Miss Sandra Jones £8,906. Miss Morse said after the hearing: "The total amount awarded is just under £100,000."