Tuffnells: 'I was hired on Wednesday and made redundant on Monday'

Jamie Kasanczuk was made redundant on his third day at Tuffnells

Staff and customers have spoken of their shock and frustration after Sheffield-based delivery firm Tuffnells Parcel Express went into administration with the loss of more than 2,000 jobs.

One employee said he found out about the firm's collapse from the news, having only been hired just days beforehand.

Meanwhile, the closure of all Tuffnells transport hubs and depots has left shipments stranded in warehouses and small firms in limbo.

The BBC spoke to some of those affected.

The employees

Jamie Kasanczuk, 33, was made redundant on his third day working for Tuffnells after being hired as a warehouse operative in Sheffield just last week.

He said he "found out through the news" that he was losing his job on Monday and on Tuesday had still not been told anything by the company.

He said: "I was taken on on the Wednesday and I was made redundant on the Monday.

"Why would they employ people if they were coming close to administration? They must have known.

"I feel frustrated, I feel annoyed. I feel like I've shot myself in the foot a bit. I accepted this job because it was close to my home, I could have accepted other jobs."

More than 2,000 Tuffnells staff have lost their jobs

Mr Kasanczuk, who has a stepdaughter, said he and his partner had been planning to get married but would now have to delay their wedding.

He said colleagues had mentioned "things going wrong with pay," such as not getting paid for overtime, but had no idea the company had been about to collapse.

"There's guys in there, very experienced, who have worked there for years," Mr Kasanczuk said. "Every single one of them have families.

"I feel for every single person in this situation. Not everybody can get a job the next day."

Paul Waite, 38, who had worked in the Tuffnells depot in Haydock, St Helens, in Merseyside, said staff were called to a meeting on Monday and told "there is no money in the pot to pay last week's wages".

"I live from week-to-week wages," he said. "I have a 10-year-old stepdaughter and an eight-month-old baby and children from a previous relationship. My partner is still on maternity."

The customers

Steve Lenham, who runs an electronics design company in Kent, used Tuffnells to send "one of the largest and most valuable shipments I've ever made" to a customer in Leeds on Thursday last week,

He said the shipment - broadcast audio equipment worth "several tens of thousands of pounds" - was now stuck "behind a locked gate in a warehouse" in West Yorkshire.

Mr Lenham was a first-time Tuffnells customer and said he had felt "no qualms" about using the firm as they were well-established.

"I waved off eight cartons worth of stuff which should have been delivered on Friday. On Friday I looked at the tracking and noted it had got to their distribution hub in Leeds ... which I thought was a bit odd.

"I hoped it was just that they hadn't updated the tracking info, and then I was sitting working yesterday when the news [of the administration] came on the radio."

Steve Lenham said he had a shipment worth tens of thousands of pounds stuck in a Tuffnells warehouse

Mr Lenham, who runs Benden Technology as a sole trader, said he was now waiting to hear from the company about how he or his customer could collect the shipment.

"It's worrying," he said.

"At what point do you decide that it's lost, how long do I give them to sort themselves out? A week, a month, six months? I can't really."

However, he added it was fortunate his shipment was fully insured because otherwise he "may never see it again, in which case I'd be ruined".

In a statement issued on Monday Rick Harrison and Howard Smith from Interpath Advisory said: "Unfortunately, the highly competitive nature of the UK parcel delivery market, coupled with significant inflation across the company's fixed cost base in recent times, has resulted in the company experiencing intense pressure on cashflow."

They added that support would be provided to all those affected with plans to contact customers "over the coming days" to arrange parcel collection.

'Major blow'

Sheffield City Council said it was working with several agencies to provide a "rapid response service" to help Tuffnells workers "find a new role in a similar sector".

Councillor Martin Smith, the council's committee chair for economic development and skills, said: "Across Sheffield and the wider South Yorkshire region there is demand for drivers, administrators and warehouse staff.

"We are optimistic there are opportunities for those who have lost their job at Tuffnells to find new employment that suits their skillset.

"We will ensure people have access to the services and resources they need to find a new, good quality role as soon as possible."

A Sheffield Chamber of Commerce spokesperson said "demand for jobs remains extremely high in the region", adding: "We are optimistic alternate employment opportunities are available and we hope Tuffnells staff can find good quality alternative jobs quickly."

Clive Betts, Labour MP for Sheffield South East, says there were "no rumours around that the company was about to fail"

Meanwhile, Clive Betts, Labour MP for Sheffield South East, said the firm's collapse was without warning and "came as a shock".

"The 300 jobs in Sheffield is going to mean an awful lot for local people and their families," he said.

"Losing your job in the current situation, where you're probably already struggling to pay bills and all the other increasing costs, suddenly to find your income has gone is a major blow."

The MP praised the council and South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard's office for their "quick response" offering help to employees.

A spokesperson for the joint administrators at Interpath said: "The team have been providing support to those employees impacted by redundancy while also working at pace to liaise with interested parties, customers and other stakeholders impacted by the administration."