Law firm to represent about 100 staff at failed Harrogate firm

Almost 100 staff at failed Harrogate telemarketing company Amvoc are to take legal action over the way redundancies were managed.

The Stray Ferret revealed yesterday up to 450 people received an email at about 10pm on Tuesday night from chief executive Damian Brockway informing them the firm had ceased with immediate effect.

Mr Brockway said the company had entered administration and blamed “covid debts”.

Based at Cardale Park in Harrogate, Amvoc also has offices in Leeds and Manchester.

Within hours of the news breaking, employment law firm Aticus Law said it had been contacted by 91 people affected.

The firm said it was now in the early stages of investigating the circumstances of the company’s collapse and concerns around how the redundancy process was managed.

It was also looking into whether ex-employees were eligible to claim for a protective award claim against the company.

Aticus said if its clients were able to successfully pursue a claim, those involved would receive up to eight weeks’ worth of pay in compensation, with a cap of £571 per week.

The Manchester-based firm is currently representing over 130 ex-employees to bring a protective award claim against Made.com which entered into administration last year, around a dozen former employees of FlyBe, and more than 50 staff who lost their jobs when BritishVolt collapsed earlier this year.

Edward Judge, a founding partner at Aticus Law said:

“We have now been contacted by 91 individuals who say that they have been affected by job losses following the recent collapse of Amvoc.

“We are in the early stages of investigating those claims, and advising our clients on their options.”

“As is always the case with protective award claims, the individuals who have reached out to us for advice regarding their rights are understandably very anxious and concerned about what the future has in store for them.”

A protective award is compensation awarded by an employment tribunal if an employer fails in its duties.

Mr Judge added:

“The protective award is a vital safety net for so many families in fast-paced redundancy situations that often leave them with no source of income and absolutely no notice.

“However, many people don’t realise that you can only get a protective award payment if you are included as part of the claim and are listed as part of the Schedule of Claimants attached to the tribunal judgment.”

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Mr Brockway’s email to staff, seen by the Stray Ferret, said: 

“We have appointed administrators with immediate effect who will now be responsible for paying wages this week and all outstanding bonuses.

“I am gutted. Words fail me.

“Unfortunately our covid debts were too high and repayments not high enough. We have been issued with immediate request to pay all outstanding within seven days which is impossible.

“I cannot tell you how upset this makes me.”

 

Hundreds of job losses as Harrogate company goes under

As many as 450 people have lost their jobs after Harrogate telemarketing company Amvoc crashed into administration, leaving employees in shock today. 

Staff received an email at 10pm last night from chief executive Damian Brockway informing them all the company’s offices, in Harrogate, Leeds and Manchester, would close with immediate effect, citing “covid debts” as the cause. 

The email, seen by the Stray Ferret, said: 

“We have appointed administrators with immediate effect who will now be responsible for paying wages this week and all outstanding bonuses.

“I am gutted. Words fail me.

“Unfortunately our covid debts were too high and repayments not high enough. We have been issued with immediate request to pay all outstanding within seven days which is impossible.

“I cannot tell you how upset this makes me.”

The speed of the company’s demise surprised many – it was still advertising for new staff as recently as last week – and staff expressed their shock in social media posts. One said:

“I, as many others will be during this time, am now frantically looking for work. With huge overheads, a small child to support and a mortgage to pay, I am very concerned about the coming weeks.”

Mr Brockway set up Amvoc, the trading name of A Marketing Vocation Ltd, from a small office in Dacre in 2010. It sold telemarketing services, initially in the legal sector, and grew rapidly, moving first to Pateley Bridge and then to large offices at New York Mills near Summerbridge. 

It opened a new head office on Cardale Park in Harrogate in 2015, a facility in Leeds in 2018 and an office in Manchester in 2022.  It also had plans to expand to London.

Amvoc’s clients have included BP, Barclays, Virgin Media, Leeds Beckett University, and both the Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties. 

The company has been approached for comment. 

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