Saturday, 29 June 2013
How my campaign for justice started
The campaign started over a conversation
with my dear friend Maria, who I honestly believe in one of darkest moments of
my life, God allowed our paths to cross.
Close Invoice Finance had for what ever reason, nothing to do with the 1,000% profit they had just made by refused to release the security of my company Smart and Kleen Laundries, closed my company. This was on Christmas Eve 09, putting my 16 staff on the dole with no wages; because CIF were scared they might lose £2,000+. CIF had given permission for our pre-pack two months earlier and had terminated our contract 7 months earlier. With no warning at the same time as terminating our contract, CIF announced that they would reduce our draw down by 1% a week creating a lot of slack in the ledger, creating a situation in the event of insolvency for substantial termination fees and profits.
CIF emailed requesting excessive termination fees 30 minutes before they were due to release the security. Simon Hallows of Harrison’s of Reading the IP stated that CIF wanted the money off me personally and as a bank CIF were capitalists and if that meant throwing my staff on the dole would they would do it to get their money. Great to see Close Brothers who had just been saved my then Labour Government have such a social responsibility.
I felt aggrieved and a strong desire for justice for my staff who were employed in one of the most deprived run down areas of Newcastle. The company was the largest commercial laundry in Newcastle, having just secured the largest single contract was about to start a night shift. With the support of Newcastle City Council was moving to new premises double the size with a business model to double the size of the workforce over the coming 2 years. My employees were mostly women who had never worked, having brought up their families, giving them fabulous life skills or men over 50 in a ward where male unemployment for over 50's is running at 70%+.
My friend Maria suggested that I write to David Thomson explaining what had happened and also came out with the words 'you will open a can of worms' - how right she was. I was taken a back with David Thomson's response and all correspondence subsequently, including a phone call in a fit of rage where you would not have spoken to a dog the way Thomson spoke to me.
Close Invoice Finance had for what ever reason, nothing to do with the 1,000% profit they had just made by refused to release the security of my company Smart and Kleen Laundries, closed my company. This was on Christmas Eve 09, putting my 16 staff on the dole with no wages; because CIF were scared they might lose £2,000+. CIF had given permission for our pre-pack two months earlier and had terminated our contract 7 months earlier. With no warning at the same time as terminating our contract, CIF announced that they would reduce our draw down by 1% a week creating a lot of slack in the ledger, creating a situation in the event of insolvency for substantial termination fees and profits.
CIF emailed requesting excessive termination fees 30 minutes before they were due to release the security. Simon Hallows of Harrison’s of Reading the IP stated that CIF wanted the money off me personally and as a bank CIF were capitalists and if that meant throwing my staff on the dole would they would do it to get their money. Great to see Close Brothers who had just been saved my then Labour Government have such a social responsibility.
I felt aggrieved and a strong desire for justice for my staff who were employed in one of the most deprived run down areas of Newcastle. The company was the largest commercial laundry in Newcastle, having just secured the largest single contract was about to start a night shift. With the support of Newcastle City Council was moving to new premises double the size with a business model to double the size of the workforce over the coming 2 years. My employees were mostly women who had never worked, having brought up their families, giving them fabulous life skills or men over 50 in a ward where male unemployment for over 50's is running at 70%+.
My friend Maria suggested that I write to David Thomson explaining what had happened and also came out with the words 'you will open a can of worms' - how right she was. I was taken a back with David Thomson's response and all correspondence subsequently, including a phone call in a fit of rage where you would not have spoken to a dog the way Thomson spoke to me.
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