Usdaw wins £68m redundancy payouts for Woolworths staff

Posted 23/01/2012

Shopworkers union Usdaw has won a legal battle to secure redundancy compensation for thousands of employees of Woolworths who lost their jobs when the chain closed down in 2008.The total could be as high as £67.8 million for the 24,000 members of staff, with an employment tribunal in London ruling the company’s administrators did not consult with workers properly.National officer for the union John Gorle stated that while the money is not going to make up for the members of staff losing their jobs, it will be welcomed by them.”Cases like this once again demonstrate the immense value of belonging to a trade union,” he said, while the organisation’s general secretary John Hannett added it would be a “clear injustice” if some workers from smaller Woolworths stores missed out on redundancy compensation.Earlier in the month, it was revealed that around 350 TV Licensing workers could be facing redundancy as a result of cuts at the body.