Sheffield mum left struggling to pay bills after £6.55 ‘redundancy payout’

A mother-of-three from Sheffield who was made redundant during the Covid-19 crisis has been left struggling to pay the bills after receiving just £6.55 on her last wage slip.
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Clare Penty, 42, of Fox Hill, was originally on furlough from her job as a mobile kitchen worker with the school catering company Taylor Shaw but, on July 23, she was let go as the firm had lost business through the pandemic.

When she lost her job, Clare was promised four-weeks of redundancy pay which she says would equate to over £500.

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Single mother Clare Penty, pictured with her young son, says she doesn't know where to turn after receiving just £6.55 in a redundancy payoutSingle mother Clare Penty, pictured with her young son, says she doesn't know where to turn after receiving just £6.55 in a redundancy payout
Single mother Clare Penty, pictured with her young son, says she doesn't know where to turn after receiving just £6.55 in a redundancy payout
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But, she was left in tears after receiving a £6.55 wage slip last week - barely enough to cover her £13 overdraft, let alone her bills, rent, and food payments.

Clare, who lives with her young son, said: "I got my wage slip on Thursday night and just broke down in tears, I didn’t know which way to look or turn.

"Where’s my £518 I should have received? I had £6.55 on my wage slip.

"Usually my rent comes out on a Friday, as does my car insurance and day-to-day living. I have got a court order on my rent account so I do like to make sure it’s paid but now I’m £100 behind.”

The redundancy letter Clare received stating she would receive four weeks payThe redundancy letter Clare received stating she would receive four weeks pay
The redundancy letter Clare received stating she would receive four weeks pay
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Clare has since found a new job as a care worker – however, this is paid monthly so she will have to wait weeks to receive another wage.

A Taylor Shaw spokesperson said: “We can confirm payment to Clare is correct. As with many term-time only employees within the education sector, Clare’s salary was spread over 12 months equally.

"Due to length of service being under two years, the payment in question isn’t redundancy pay but is a payment in lieu of notice that is subject to statutory deductions.

“We have been in contact with Clare to explain the situation but urge her to contact us directly should she want to clarify anything further or we can provide additional support.

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"We appreciate this is a difficult situation and we are actively working to support ex-employees with finding new opportunities via the Foodservice Circle initiative.”

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