Former employees of Gill’s Cruise Centre are still waiting for redundancy payments because of delays they blame on WeCruise, which bought the retailer’s assets.
The Insolvency Service aims to make payments within six weeks of receiving a claim, but Travel Weekly understands it is still awaiting details.
Before it can agree payments, the service needs to know which of the 117 staff who lost their jobs when Gill’s ceased trading in July were given roles at P&P Associates-owned WeCruise.
New cruise retailer WeCruise employed 34 staff after buying the firm’s website and database.
One former staff member, who did not wish to be named, said: “I was told that the redundancy service is waiting for a list of the employees who were given jobs at WeCruise. They don’t want to pay people who have continued their employment.”
When Gill’s collapsed, staff were advised to make a claim to the Insolvency Service, but six weeks on still no money has been received.
The staff member said: “If it doesn’t come through we will have to take them to a tribunal, but we can’t afford that.”
The government-run Insolvency Service typically pays up to eight weeks’ wages, holiday pay and some compensatory notice pay from the National Insurance Fund to employees of companies that have fallen into administration.
The former Gill’s staff, many of whom have still to find new employment, have been frantically phoning the service to chase their payments. Some of the staff have now found new jobs at other cruise retailers, including Iglu, Best at Travel and Jetline.
Travel Weekly was unable to contact P&P Associates director Phil Cook or Gill’s administrator Harrisons.