Christian bookshop sacks staff by e-mail

Jun 20 2008 by David Holmes, Chester Chronicle

Christian bookshop sacks staff by e-mail

STAFF fired by email from a Christian bookshop in Chester have branded the actions “un-Christian”.

The workers, who have more than 100 years’ service between them at the SPCK shop in St Werburgh Street, approached The Chronicle to expose the way they had been treated.

Several branches in the chain have been closed after it emerged the trading arm of Christian charity St Stephen the Great (SSG) had been “placed into reorganisation” in the United States Bankruptcy Court.

A new company, ENC Management Company, has been set up to run the bookshops run by Mark and Phil Brewer, the same two Texan brothers who head SSG.

In the email SSG employees were told that “payroll, redundancy and other such obligations would only be payable through the bankruptcy court” with staff “invited to apply for a position with ENC Management Company”.

Ian Vollands, who worked as the Chester shop manager for 24 years, said: “We got an email last Friday telling us the company had filed for bankruptcy in the USA and that our employment had been terminated from June 1. We had worked for a week without being informed.

“You don’t expect any company to treat you like this. It’s completely un-Christian.” He understands the shop, which supplies local churches and clergy with books, communion wafers and candles, will reopen but only on Fridays and Saturdays.

Susan Clarke, who had worked at the shop for almost 40 years since she was 15, said: “It’s not right is it? It would have been better if we had been told in person.”

Heather Leather said staff only found out about the email terminating their employment after it was forwarded by another SPCK shop because email in the Chester shop was not accessible that day.

Shopworkers’ union USDAW says the company has broken employment law and it will be supporting a number of members in pursuing claims at employment tribunals.

The Charity Commission is also investigating whether the case raises any issues for itself.

A spokeswoman said: “We are aware of the reports that the charity St Stephen the Great, or a connected organisation, has filed for bankruptcy. We are currently considering whether this raises any issues for the Commission to take forward.”