The Socialist 2 June 2010

Stop Israeli state terror!

British Airways strike: Full support for the cabin crew

Oil spill is 'worst environmental disaster' to hit US

No to privatised academies: Defend public education

Millionaire cabinet plans cuts in benefits

One Law for the rich...

Them and us!

Interview with sacked Telegen workers

Youth Fight for Jobs: More trade unions add their support

Cardiff says 'no' to the racist EDL

Gateshead tenants demand decent homes

Socialists campaign for Pride not profit in Birmingham

Margaret Thatcher: Why workers cannot forget

Minority representation in Scotland for Westminster coalition of cuts

Socialist Party Scotland to be launched

Fighting council cuts: Planning for united strikes in Kirklees

PCS conference Defend the public sector

Coventry - time for mass action

Will the councils fight the cuts?

University and Colleges Union: Congress votes to fight

UCU young members' conference

NSSN conference 2010

Jamaican armed forces surround and storm poor neighbourhood

Workers' suicides: The human cost of an iPad

Socialism Today

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"We want our wages"

Interview with sacked Telegen workers

300 workers at Telegen, a call-centre in Brighton, were made redundant with no notice on Friday 21 May. Two sacked Telegen workers spoke to Jon Redford about their experience and their plans to fight for their unpaid wages.

"On Friday morning I checked my bank account and I hadn't been paid. I called a friend and they hadn't been paid either. We went into work and 200 to 300 members of staff were outside, not being allowed into the building. Creditors distributed leaflets explaining that Telegen had ceased trading. Some people were crying. Others looked stunned. In the creditors' meeting we were told officially that we had been made redundant. Friday was the first day for some people, just recruited in the weeks before!

"We are owed two weeks' pay, as well as holiday, overtime and pay instead of the week's notice of redundancy. We are paid £220 a week basic rate, as well as commission and bonuses. I worked 20 hours overtime in the last week for which I have not been paid.

"We live week by week, with food, bills and rent to pay. One friend lost his house because he cannot afford to repay the mortgage. Some people literally used their last £2 to get the bus into work expecting to be paid!

"We are all relying on crisis loans from the jobcentre as it takes a month to get housing benefit and jobseeker's allowance. Many of us have moved in with our parents and don't qualify for the full benefits. Around 25% of us have new jobs to go to.

"On Thursday we were told to attend work in smart dress to impress a client that was being shown around the office. It turns out these 'clients' were the creditors being shown Telegen's assets! We are angry that we were lied to. Our payslips were not given to us on the Thursday due to a 'problem with the printers', another lie.

"Why was Telegen recruiting when they knew they would close? Why didn't they tell us this might happen so that we could at least plan ahead? Why didn't they put aside some funds for our pay at least, if not a bridging fund?

"We now face a horrendous battle filling in forms and waiting for the outcome of the creditors' meeting to find out whether we are getting our pay or not! That money is ours, we worked for it!

"We want our wages and we want them soon! We want compensation for the worry and difficulties we have been through, especially the people who have lost their homes. We want the books to be opened and we want to see where all the money went. And we want to know why they lied to us, and why the directors couldn't face us themselves.

"In my next job I will definitely join the trade union and make sure it is organised in my workplace. We will be helping Youth Fight for Jobs (YFJ) and the PCS union to organise other call centres to make sure they are not treated like we were.

"We will be organising a picket with YFJ outside the creditors' meeting on Thursday 10 June to make our demands clear."

"My Dad is from Greece. I pray Britain doesn't go down that road, but when people are pushed so far they can't help but fight back. This crisis is not the fault of the ordinary people.

"I marched during the youth movement in late 2008. Young people are brainwashed at school to think they will get jobs and a good future if they work hard. When they grow up they realise that isn't true."