Tuffnells: 200 former employees to take legal action over redundancies after Sheffield parcel firm goes bust

Tuffnells announced it was going into administration on Monday, June 12, 2023, and said it had appointed joint administrators at Interpath Advisory. A spokesperson for Interpath subsequently confirmed that the vast majority of the firm’s 2,200 employees, working across 33 UK sites, would be made redundant.

A total of 347 workers in Sheffield will be affected by the collapse of Tuffnells, it was confirmed on Tuesday, June 13 by Sheffield City Council, who are providing support, alongside Jobcentre Plus and the South Yorkshire Combined Mayoral Authority, for those who have been made redundant or are at risk of redundancy.

And now, specialist employment law experts at Aticus Law says it has already been instructed by 216 affected individuals and is now in the early stages of investigating concerns around how the redundancy process was managed.

Aticus says that if their clients are able to pursue a claim and are successful, those involved in the legal challenge will receive up to eight weeks’ worth of pay in compensation, with a cap of £571 per week.

Edward Judge from Aticus law said: “As such a large employer with more than 2,200 members of staff, news that Tuffnells has collapsed into administration will come as a bitter blow to many, many families across the country.

“Within a matter of hours of the announcement yesterday, we were contacted by around a dozen impacted employees who raised concerns about how the redundancy process had been managed. That number has risen rapidly to over 200, and we are now in the early stages of investigating those claims and advising our clients on their options.

“As is always the case with protective award claims, the individuals who have reached out to us for advice regarding their rights are understandably very anxious and concerned about what the future has in store for them.”

Edward went on to explain that the firm is now investigating whether there are grounds to claim for a Protective Award, that is, compensation awarded by an Employment Tribunal if an employer fails in its duties.

“Historically people were under the impression that when a business has collapsed there is nothing that can be done, however, this issue keeps hitting the headlines and, as a result, employees are far more familiar with their rights and their ability to hold the company accountable.

“That means that when a company doesn’t act in the way that it should, they are far more likely to reach out for legal advice.

“The Protective Award is a vital safety net for so many families in fast-paced redundancy situations that often leave them with no source of income and absolutely no notice.

“However, many people don’t realise that you can only get a Protective Award payment if you are included as part of the claim and are listed as part of the Schedule of Claimants attached to the Tribunal Judgment.

“We can’t stress this enough. You can’t simply watch from the side-lines while ex-colleagues take the legal challenge forward. It’s important to make sure your name and specific job title is included.”