Crunch meeting for City Link staff at depot in Fareham

Drivers and staff employed at City Link's Fareham depot and subcontractors were at the City Link offices to hear the latest situation after the firm went into administration on Christmas Day.

Many voiced their anger at the way they had been treated and how it had ruined their Christmas.

Sub contractors spoke of being owed thousands of pounds that they were not hopeful they would ever see.

One man, a main subcontractor, spoke about being owed £120,000 and having to find work for 25 people he manages who work self-employed at either the Fareham or Isle of Wight City Link depots.

The Fareham depot was created following a £500,000 investment from the company to employ 77 staff, including two apprentices, and operate 56 collection and delivery vehicles which would handle 4,200 items a night.

But one subcontractor has said he believes that of those 77 employees, only four of them are drivers with at least another 60 sub-contracted out.

A City Link employee who did not want to be named said four staff including the manager, had been kept on to help wind things down but the rest of the 33 staff had been sent home following a brief announcement this morning.

He said this was so that people could and collect their deliveries and no vans were leaving the depot apart from hire vans being collected.

He said all 33 employees were employed and had been paid until December 31.

He said they had been told a letter would be sent out in the next 48 hours telling employees of the outcome which he said he expected to be redundancy.

"We're being made redundant, it's going to happen," he said.

"Angry would be the word, disgusted.  We have got families.  We have got a little one and another on the way, a mortgage to pay.

"Christmas Day a driver rang me, that's how I found out."

It could bring the total of jobs based at the Fareham Industrial Park at risk to more than 130 on top of those employed in Basingstoke and in the Isle of Wight.

The Daily Echo understands that City Link bosses met with staff this morning and then subcontractors in two separate meetings.

Subcontractors said in the meeting with the depot manager and administrators Ernst and Young they had been no indication that there was any potential rescue for City Link.

They said they had been no real answers and had been to fill in forms for their claims.

They were informed that payments had been made on Christmas Eve but say they will have to wait to see how much that payment is for when it arrives in their bank account.

Although some told of a somber atmosphere inside the depot others said that people had been saying goodbye and wishing each other luck.

During the morning staff could be seen still working on site, while workers from other companies turned up to collect their vans and members of the public to collect their parcels.

No workers directly employed by City Link that the Daily Echo approached were prepared to speak to us and it is understood that they had been asked not to speak to the media.

It is believed have been paid up until December 31.

Subcontractor courier Kev Emmett, 45 (above), of Cunningham Gardens, Bursledon, said he had had no warning that the company was in trouble and had done 87 drops on Christmas Eve.

He found out like others the news through the media on Christmas Day.

He is owed £3,500 by City Link.

He said: "I was hoping and praying something was going to happen, but I was definitely sure after we have had this meeting [that I had lost my job] but even before - I'm not silly.

"they knew nothing, he couldn't answer my questions. There's no communication.

"I think it's disgusting the way we have been treated.

"I'm unemployed now, I've got a family - it's bad.

"It's going to be hard because there's so many people looking for work.

"I can't sleep, it's just horrible , it's just worry, total and utter worry."

Father-of-four Simon Bryant, 41 (above), of Fareham, who is a self-employed driver for a subcontractor, said: "as far as I know I'm jobless.

"Christmas was alright until 3pm and then you're just moping around for the rest of the day. The holiday that we should have had was just gone.

"The one time of year you want to relax and enjoy yourself and you can't."

David Voke, 44 (above, centre), of Knowle, owns PTD of Portsmouth, a subcontractor of City Link, and is owed money by City Link from back to October.

He said he was the depot's main subcontractor.

"I have got 20 vehicles here - we're free to come and go to sort the vehicles out.

"Luckily I have paid my drivers - I have paid my bills, they just don't pay theirs.

"I have drivers paid up to date, I have just got to find them work elsewhere.

"Even if I did get other work it's going to be very difficult financially."

He said although he also has a contract with FedEx, the City Link depots in Fareham and the Isle of Wight that he supplies 25 workers to make up two thirds of his work.

He said he was in Holland for Christmas when he found out from a driver, though he had heard rumours in the months before.

Mum-of-two Lizzie Cheshire, 33, of Cutlers Lane, Fareham has no connections with the workers but was moved to come down to show her sympathy and had handed over a tin of chocolates to staff to cheer them up.

She said: "we had a few boxes at Christmas and I have been hearing about this.

"I just wanted to do something nice.  It's a bad time to be made redundant.  It's not much just a tin of Roses."

Oliver Clist, 29, from Bassett, was at the Fareham depot on behalf of his company Benchmark Distribution in Bevois Valley.

He was collecting six car parts that the company had instructed City Link to courier for them, but would now be sent through a different courier firm.

He said: "The staff seemed okay, they were somber obviously who wouldn't be.

"I said sorry for what's happened - they have lost their jobs.  It's not their fault and they have probably got families themselves.

"We're all in the same game, we're all in distribution, we have all got families - it's not nice."

Felicity Budd, 28, had come all the way from Chichester to collect a parcel as this was the nearest depot.

She said it was a Secret Santa present for her partner of a coffee machine worth around £50 that City Link had tried to deliver on December 22 and had left a delivery card.

She was away over Christmas and only realised the situation with City Link days later when they came back.

"My sister was joking and said they didn't try to deliver it with City Link did they?

"I thought she was winding me up for ages.

"We just hoped we could get it, we were worried that everything would just suddenly close.

"It's great that they have kept it open so people could collect their parcels.

"I just feel bad for the workers."