Sacked hotel staff 'not paid for months'

Staff who lost their jobs at a Warwickshire hotel when it closed say they have not been paid for the three months leading up to the closure.

A total of 71 staff were laid off from Brandon Hall Hotel and Spa on 9 December, when administrators arrived to close the venue.

Ex-employees - some of whom had worked there for more than a decade - said they had had no access to payslips before May 2024, and do not know whether their employer had been paying their tax and national insurance.

Firm JDS63 - appointed by administrators last June - managed the hotel until November, and has been contacted by the BBC for comment.

Abdelfattah Mahmoud was the hotel's night manager and said he was not warned before being told he had lost his job

A group of around 15 former staff have now applied for a tribunal to pursue the pay they are owed for November and December.

Brandon Tradeco, the company that previously managed the hotel, went into administration itself in May last year, before JDS63 stepped in.

Abdelfattah Mahmoud was night manager at Brandon Hall and said he was "shocked" when he arrived for work in December to find the door locked.

"I came home and my wife asked me why I was not at work," he said.

"I told her it was closed and I had no work. She began to cry and asked what we were going to do.

"I was lucky and found a new job on Christmas Eve and was able to cover my bills. I tried to contact the owners but they just kept ignoring us."

Tony Johnson is one of the ex-staff pursuing legal action

Tony Johnson, who used to work at the gym at the hotel, confirmed they have not been able to access their payslips since May 2024.

"You just can't allow companies to get away with this," he said. "They're not allowing people to move on.

"All we're waiting for now is the tribunal to contact us and let us know the date of the hearing."