A joiner “left hung out to dry” after the collapse of housebuilders Stewart Milne has described the shock 35-minute meeting he was told he no longer had a job.
It comes as Unite union said the company had acted “disgracefully” in how it treated workers, some of whom had 40 years of experience.
The union held meetings with former employees in Aberdeen and Dundee on Monday, where they shared information on applying for statutory redundancy pay.
Unite will also represent workers at a tribunal for claims of unpaid wages and money owed.
Around 40-50 staff made redundant locally attended the Dundee meeting on Monday.
Most of them had been working at the Arbroath Monarch’s Rise site.
Stewart Milne workers had ‘rug-pulled’ from under them
One joiner, Callum Warden, went to work “as normal” on January 8, following a break over Christmas.
He said talk on-site in Arbroath centred on the news alerts Stewart Milne’s northern England enterprise had gone into administration.
But at no point did anyone from the company call to explain what was happening.
“I was installing a set of stairs in one of the new properties when we got called into a meeting, at about 3.10pm,” he said.
“The site manager called us in for a meeting.
“We all thought it was just going to be some words of reassurance.
“Maybe the director was telling us ‘not to worry’ and things would carry on as normal, despite what was happening in England.
“But then, we were told the company was in administration.
“It all felt so last-minute.
“It has been a rug-pull.”
By 3.45pm, Callum and his colleagues no longer had jobs.
He was with Stewart Milne for nine years and served four of those as an apprentice.
After leaving Mearns Academy at 16, the Brechin man went straight into his training.
He and his colleagues had been hammered by the Covid pandemic, pausing work on site for months.
Pace criticism
According to Unite, workers were not warned of the impending collapse.
Around 217 staff were let go when the company unexpectedly went bust in January.
The union is “actively exploring” legal action over the company’s “failure to consult the workforce or Unite in a redundancy situation”.
Where firms fail to follow the correct process, employment tribunals can make “protective” awards worth from 45 days to 90 days of full pay.
The union further criticised the decision to make Pace events “webinars”, saying it completely “failed” to understand the nature of the construction industry.
Callum explained how his fellow workers grouped together to help one another out.
“All the workers set-up various group-chats, making sure everyone was involved and telling people what was going on,” he said.
“There have been a few job offers, people have been sending on adverts for jobs too.
“I will need to find a new workmate though, the one had been working for 40-odd years. He won’t be moving to new sites.
“Hopefully I will get something local, it makes sense to stay local and not pay for travel or relocation.
“The union has been very helpful, proactive and kept us informed about what has gone on.”
Conversation