Staff who were left with nothing when a popular Glasgow baker went bust have won almost £1m in compensation.
Workers at Mortons Rolls will receive the cash after winning a court battle against the UK Government over redundancy payments.
Bakers, drivers and factory workers were denied payouts after the Government argued they had been transferred over to another company before the firm collapsed.
But lawyers successfully argued they were still employed by Mortons when the baker went into liquidation in 2023.
Dozens of staff will now receive redundancy money – with some liable for up to £20,000.
Thompsons Solicitors Scotland, who backed 100 hundred workers caught up in the company’s administration, say the first half of the cash is being paid out to staff now.
It follows a three-year legal fight with the UK government who opposed the loyal workers getting any kind of payout.
Lawyer Paul Kissen, who leads the team at Thompsons which secured the cash, says the determination of the staff to fight their corner has been crucial to the victory.
Mr Kissen said: “The men and women who worked for Mortons, many who had been there for decades, have really been through the mill.
“Firstly they were dismissed by the company’s previous owners in a way that saw them denied proper compensation. Then the UK government tried to deny their responsibility to the staff which held up compensation for almost 3 years.
“So this victory has been hard won and we are now going to secure another 500,000 pounds in protective award money for the workers.”
He added: “This is cash paid out when a company enters administration and sacks people without consultation.
“I know that the combined amounts totalling well over 1 million pounds will be of huge benefit to those who have suffered terrible hardship. Some long serving workers will be in line for payouts of over 20 thousand pounds.”
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One Mortons worker with decades of service, who asked not to be named, said: “The way the company went into administration was heart breaking.
“We couldn’t understand how a company this well-known could treat its workers like this. We were dumped with no notice and no redundancy money. People like myself were owed thousands.
“Then we had the UK government saying we were owed nothing so you had workers with families left with nothing . We’ve now won that fight in court and the combined compensation will be of huge benefit to us and our families.”
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