Tearful caller "heartbroken" over making employees redundant

16 July 2020, 19:56

By Fiona Jones

This tearful caller was heartbroken over having to make her employees redundant because her industry has "been shut down by the Government" yet she has received no "meaningful support."

Caller Della owns a company which supplies print to the theatre industry which means she has "no idea" when she will return to work. She has had no work since 16 March and is having to cut down on staff.

She told Eddie that having to make her employees redundant is "breaking her heart" and the "worst thing she's ever had to do" in her career.

Della had to furlough her employees and has encouraged them to look for other work because "nobody can tell us" what's going on; she accused her local MP of ignoring her.

"There's no date for theatres to go back so we can't forward plan, we can't do anything," she said, predicting she will not get any work until next year.

The government grant she has received was "better than nothing" but does not cover the redundancy payments or four months of rent.

"They're heartbroken, we've been like family," Della told Eddie, "because we're directors of a small limited company we're not entitled to anything."

While she was thankful for the Government's furlough scheme this was just "delaying the inevitable."

"The Chancellor just wants to say what good things he's done for so many - and he has done good things for so many but there are so many that have been forgotten," she said, in tears.

Della told Eddie the future is unknown and scary - she has had to get another job as her family cannot survive.

"I never thought this was where I was going to be. Thirteen years of building up a successful business and for this to happen through no fault of our own with no meaningful support, I'm at a loss with what to say," she said, "the industry's been shut down by the Government."