A 65-year-old member from Chorley who was made redundant in 2011 after the manufacturing company he worked for went into liquidation has secured £5,000 compensation.
Frank Curphey, 65, began working at his firm in 2007 on a full term contract, then a three-day week in 2009, before being made redundant in 2011.
After his employer refused to pay his redundancy package, Frank turned to Unite Legal Services to help start legal proceedings. The legal specialists contacted the Government’s Insolvency Service, which makes redundancy payments when a company is insolvent.
Frank’s losses were recovered based on his initial full time working week.
Frank said: “If it wasn’t for my union being so keen to get me what I was owed, I would be out of pocket by thousands of pounds. They acted swiftly as we were close to reaching the Government’s six month deadline. I wouldn’t have been able to do this without their expert help.”
Ritchie James, North West regional secretary at Unite the Union, said: “It’s cases like Frank’s that demonstrate why people should join a union. Thanks to his Unite membership, Frank didn’t have to worry about any legal costs as they were all covered and he gets to enjoy his retirement stress-free, keeping 100 per cent of the money we helped recover.”
The Unite member added: “My union was brilliant. Without them, I probably wouldn’t have seen a penny of what I was owed.”
