ADVANTAGE
Travel Centres has been forced to shelve the announcement of its long-awaited
restructure at its overseas conference this week due to legal delays.
Full
details of the consortium’s restructure, which will see members become
stakeholders, were due to be revealed at the conference in Kuala Lumpur.
But
delays of more than four months mean it is now unable to put its proposal for
the structure of the organisation before members after its barrister failed to
meet his deadline.
The
consortium’s solicitor wrote a letter of complaint to its barrister’s chambers
after growing increasingly frustrated with the slow progress.
Sales
and marketing director Colin O’Neill said the letter has forced the barrister
to “get his finger out”.
O’Neill
refused to name the barrister or his chamber.
The
case to make the consortium profit making could go before a judge next week.
Advantage’s plan was meant to get court approval by January 5.
“We
are disappointed to say the least. It would have been nice to have it ready for
the conference.”
Advantage
member and Spicer Travel Bureau proprietor John Spicer said: “It’s not
Advantage’s fault. I’m certainly not going to stand up and moan, I just hope
they don’t pay the barrister.”
The
delay has also held up the appointment of a managing director until at least
autumn.
Advantage
director and Galaxy Travel managing director Geoff Blagg will be interim MD
until a permanent candidate is in place.
Blagg
said headhunters have been approached over the £120,000-a-year post, but a shortlist
is yet to be drawn up because the consortium’s new structure is still to be confirmed.
Meanwhile,
Blagg will inform delegates of the redundancies of 11 Advantage staff at a
closed session to members on Thursday. The employees’ consultation period will
finish this week. If, as expected, all 11 staff are made redundant Advantage
will be left with 24 staff.
Delegate
numbers have reached 362, of which 177 are agents and 185 business partners.
Sorrento
will host the Advantage conference in 2005. Dates are not yet confirmed.