Mick Ward and his two children Laura, 25, and Ryan, 22, set to face New Year standing in dole queue
An entire family have been left jobless by the collapse of delivery firm City Link.
Administrators for the company - owned by Tory fatcat Jon Moulton - unveiled plans on Christmas Day to sack thousands of staff.
Mick Ward, a driver for the parcel delivery firm, has told how he and his two children are now likely to start the new year standing in the dole queue.
His daughter Laura, 25, is a call centre manager and 22-year-old son Ryan works in a warehouse at the same Motherwell depot where Mick is based.
The trio are expecting to find themselves jobless today after a meeting with administrators.
Ryan lives at home with his dad and mum Lynn. Laura recently moved in with her partner.
Mick, 47, said: “I got my kids in here. It’s devastating the three of us are going to lose our jobs on the same day.
“The way staff have been treated is disgusting. People like Moulton sitting in their mansions couldn’t care less about ordinary workers.
“They invest in businesses, and if they don’t work out, then they simply move on to their next venture.”
Multi-millionaire Moulton donated almost £500,000 to the Tories between 2004 and 2011.
His investment firm Better Capital bought City Link for just £1 in April last year and he claimed he could turn the struggling firm around.
But workers found out on Christmas Day – via the BBC news website – that they were going to lose their jobs.
Moulton caused further outrage yesterday by claiming the RMT union were responsible for the timing of the news.
The businessman claimed he wanted to tell workers on Boxing Day.
But Mick, who has worked for the firm for 18 years, said: “If Moulton had known the firm was in such trouble, we should have been told long before now. Boxing Day wouldn’t have been any better.”
Mick is also an official with the RMT who have arranged a meeting at the Motherwell depot today.
Drivers from across Scotland are attending, along with the firm’s administrators Ernst and Young.
But Mick said workers are expecting only to receive redundancy forms.
Around 500 jobs are expected to be lost across Scotland, with workers at depots in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Motherwell and Livingston affected. Across the UK, a total of around 3700 posts could be axed.
Mick also revealed rumours had been circulating among drivers since November that the firm were going bust.
However, on Christmas Eve, hours before the news was broken, bosses were telling him and other workers their jobs were safe. Kirkcaldy sub-contractor Paul Horner, who is also set to lose his job, said he couldn’t tell his family after he found out on Christmas Day.
He added: “I was just numb. To find out like this is really shocking.”
Mick said: “Everyone understands businesses can fail but the way this has been handled is disgraceful.
“We want these guys held to account.
“We need answers and we need the full truth.”
