Haulier hit by owed wages
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by Juliet Parish • The Department of Employment says West Yorkshire-based container haulier Silver Birch is liable for some £200,000 in unpaid wages and redundancy payments to drivers.
The 130 drivers were either taken on by Silver Birch or made redundant after the collapse of Sanmar Container Services (CM 1723 February).
The only hope the company has of avoiding the debt is if the drivers decide not to fight for the money. Drivers fear that if they demand the money from Silver Birch, the company could close. Sanmar was owned by the parents of the four Silver Birch directors: many of its assets were transferred to Silver Birch a month before receivers were called in.
Silver Birch has given jobs to about 80 of Sanmar's drivers and has been awarded an interim 0-licence to operate 80 trucks and 100 trailers. The drivers are owed at least a month's salary and those who were not taken on by Silver Birch are owed redundancy and holiday pay.
The DoE has written to former Sanmar employees to say that Silver Birch is responsible for making these payments under the Employment Protection (Consolidation) Act 1978.
It says the drivers cannot receive their outstanding payments from the National Insurance funds because Sanmar was involved in a transfer of undertakings.