DOZENS of workers who lost their jobs after a long-established painting and decorating firm went bust are being urged to join a lawsuit against their former employer.
All 32 staff members at the Lanarkshire-based Orr Decorators were made redundant after the company collapsed last week.
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Orr Decorators went bust last week leaving 32 people without a jobCredit: Supplied
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One of the high-profile clients was the Barclay’s campus in Glasgow’s TradestonCredit: John Kirkby
Glasgow-based Thompsons Solicitors have criticised Orr for “dumping” its workers after making them redundant on April 8 without adequate notice.
The firm has begun legal proceedings to secure compensation for the affected employees.
Several former staff members have already joined the claim, and lawyer Paul Kissen, head of the Protective Award Unit at Thompsons, has encouraged others to come forward.
He emphasised that all staff members are eligible to claim, regardless of how long they had been employed by the company.
The legal action will focus on securing protective awards, which could result in payouts of approximately £4,000 to £5,000 per employee.
These payments are in addition to entitlements such as unpaid wages, unworked notice periods, unused holiday allowances, and statutory redundancy pay.
Under employment law, the company was required to carry out a 45-day consultation period before making redundancies.
Thompsons Solicitors believe the workers have a strong case and could secure collective compensation exceeding around £160000 for all affected workers.
They have previously won significant sums for workers at the Watt Brothers department store and the Tullis Russell paper mill in Fife.
A spokesperson for the firm said: “Thompsons Scotland who specialise in helping workers hit hard by companies which go bust confirmed they are taking on the Orr Decorators case.
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“Over the past few years Thompsons have developed a specialised unit where the Firm helps workers gain lost wages and other monies owed to them.
“Previous cases include workers at the Watt Brothers department store in Glasgow and the Tullis Russell paper mill in Fife where huge sums were secured for employees dumped with no notice.”
We told how Orr Decorators, based in Coatbridge, was founded over 40 years ago and had an annual turnover of £3 million.
The firm specialised in commercial painting and decorating services, with expertise in environmentally friendly coatings and finishes.
It worked on major projects across various sectors, including construction, housing, local authorities, and healthcare.
Recent high-profile projects included work on the new St James Centre in Edinburgh, the Barclays campus in Glasgow’s Tradeston, and the refurbishment of the Burrell Collection in Pollok Park.
Gordon McIntyre and George Lafferty, insolvency practitioners with McLaren Insolvency, have been appointed joint provisional liquidators of Andrew P Orr (Decorators) Limited.
In a statement last week, they said: “Orr Decorators had built a portfolio of major projects across the construction, housing, distribution, healthcare, education, manufacturing, and local authority sectors.
“Losses were incurred as a result of rising costs and overheads, which in turn led to significant cashflow pressures.
“The company anticipated further losses, and a petition to wind up the business was submitted to the court.
“With further losses anticipated, a petition was submitted to court to wind up the company.”
They added: “The business has ceased trading, and unfortunately all 32 staff have been made redundant.
“The joint provisional liquidators will focus on helping staff register claims with the redundancy payments office and will liaise with relevant employment support agencies, such as PACE.”
Mr McIntyre commented: “Orr Decorators was a highly regarded commercial painting and decorating contractor with a quality client base.
“The business was severely affected by trading problems, and despite the best efforts of the directors, insolvency was the only option.
“We will now wind down the business and determine whether there are any assets that can be marketed for sale in due course.”
In response to the legal action, a spokesperson added: “The business was not in a position to continue trading, and the employees were made redundant after it was placed in provisional liquidation.
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“The joint provisional liquidators have spoken to all employees and are liaising with them regarding their claims.
“If an action is raised they will liaise with the tribunal.”