Auto Amazon Links: No products found. Blocked by captcha.
Public funds will be used to cover shortfalls in the pension scheme of Morton’s Rolls Limited, a well-known bakery in western Scotland that went into liquidation in 2023. Former employees had raised concerns about missing employer contributions to their pensions, even though deductions were regularly taken from their wages. BBC Scotland News reviewed evidence detailing gaps in the pension payments of up to a year before the company’s collapse. The UK Insolvency Service confirmed that National Insurance funds would now be used to make up for these unpaid amounts.
Nancy Dunnachie, 65, the widow of a former Morton’s Rolls worker, shared her frustration regarding the missing pension contributions. She described how her late husband, William Dunnachie, often expressed suspicion about the company’s honesty, calling them a “shower of rogues.” Documents from Standard Life, William’s pension provider, revealed multiple notices over the period from 2020 to 2023, informing him about payments expected from his employer that were never received. Although pension deductions were shown on his payslips, the payments were not being forwarded to the pension scheme, leaving Nancy questioning the whereabouts of the deducted funds.
Several other former employees voiced similar concerns about pension contributions that had been taken from their wages but not passed on. Alan Love, who worked at Morton’s Rolls for 32 years, provided the BBC with a statement from Standard Life illustrating extensive gaps in contributions, notably between December 2021 and January 2023. Mr. Love had previously alerted the Pensions Regulator to the issue before the company ultimately went under. He stressed, “It’s not about blowing the lid on anything… It’s about getting those payments back, how do I get them back?” The Pensions Regulator declined to comment on specifics related to this case.
Following Morton’s Rolls’ liquidation, 230 workers were initially made redundant, but some were later rehired when the business was taken over by Phoenix Volt Limited. However, a lengthy legal battle ensued over whether these workers were entitled to redundancy payments. An employment tribunal recently determined that they were eligible for payouts, as the previous company was already insolvent at the time of the transfer. Redundancy payments, estimated by Thompsons Solicitors to total around £500,000, are being covered by the government’s National Insurance Fund. Paul Kissen, representing the workers, highlighted the hardship caused by delays and is pursuing additional compensation for the company’s failure to properly consult employees
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
Auto Amazon Links: No products found. Blocked by captcha.