Jobless Jamie’s Italian workers in Oxford take legal action

Employees of Jamie’s Italian based in a number of locations across the country – including Oxford, Cambridge, Birmingham, Manchester, York and Cardiff – have instructed national law firm Simpson Millar to investigate allegations that the business had failed to properly consult staff before closing its doors earlier this year.

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Many of the individuals involved claim they were given no notice at all that they were out of job, only to find out when they arrived at work thanks to notices posted on the door.

Others say they were told via a recorded phone message at the start of a shift and sent home with immediate effect.

It is thought that the business employed about 1,000 staff when it went into administration on May 21. KPMG have been appointed administrators and have declined to comment.

Oxford's George Street branch was the first ever Jamie's Italian.

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Simpson Millar has now begun legal action in order to secure a Protective Award for 55 clients amidst concerns that Jamie’s Italian management had failed with regard to a legal obligation to its staff during what is known as the ‘redundancy consultation period’.

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Aneil Balgobin, a specialist employment law Partner at Simpson Millar, said: “This has been a very upsetting and distressing time for our clients, many of whom were made redundant with a moment’s notice and who now find themselves struggling financially while searching for a new role.

“We have been instructed by more than 50 former employees who are now pursuing a Protective Award, which will see them compensated by up to 90 days’ gross pay that can be awarded by an Employment Tribunal for failure by an employer to follow the correct procedure when making redundancies.”