22 November 2016

No buyer found for Pumpkin Patch, head office staff to go

The union representing distribution centre workers at Pumpkin Patch is calling on the company receiver, KordaMentha, to guarantee that head office workers will receive their full entitlements after they learned in a meeting today many of them could be put out of the job as early as tomorrow.

No buyer has been found for the struggling children’s retailer.

Distribution centre workers will stay in the job until the company’s remaining stock is shifted.

A FIRST Union delegate on the site said “union members are consoling the office staff, many of whom are feeling pretty lousy after today’s meeting.”

“This is a sad day for the staff who’ve kept the company running for 26 years,” the delegate said.

FIRST Union organiser Lisa Meto Fox said the union will be pushing hard to ensure people who are put out of work can secure their entitlements.

“In the past workers have agreed to forgo wage increases to help the company and in return they could be short-changed on their entitlements,” said Fox.

“Securing entitlements like redundancy will mean life is a little easier for the staff who are going to be put out of work. It could mean the difference between meeting rent next week or not.”

The receivers held a meeting to inform staff today, however they did not inform FIRST Union.

ENDS

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