United Kingdom based private jet maintenance firm, Stansted’s Executive & Business Aviation Support (EBAS), owned by a Nigerian a billionaire, Prince Arthur Eze is yet to allegedly meet the redundancy payouts to its staff nearly a year after the order was issued.
Stansted’s Executive & Business Aviation Support (EBAS) put itself into voluntary liquidation and made staff redundant last year, after the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) rescinded its aircraft maintenance licence.
The firm’s parent company EBAS Diamond Holdings is owned by oil magnate Prince Arthur Eze – reputed to be one of the richest men in Africa.
But former employees say they are still owed wages and holiday pay as well as their redundancy package nearly a year after they were laid off, despite courts ordering the company to pay out.
A spokesman for David Rubin & Partners confirmed that Paul Appleton, a partner at the firm, had been appointed as liquidator but said he was not yet in a position to comment on allegations regarding how the company’s staff had been treated.
The spokesman said the liquidator has a legal obligation to realise assets for stakeholders – which include former employees. He said Mr Appleton is already in a “productive dialogue” with staff in order to address their concerns.
The employees were laid off in November 2019 after the CAA took away EBAS’ Part 145 approval. Staff says they were assured at the time they would be paid as normal.
Employees were then not paid in December, but were told they had done nothing wrong and wages would be processed when the business had funds.
In February the former employees were sent P45s, but still received no payout from the company.
After launching union claims in April some employees were allegedly offered £5,000 if they dropped their case.
One said: “It was either a phone call for some people, or face-to-face with other. There was nothing in writing.
“It was all based on ‘If you stop your claim now with the union we’ll pay you this money’.
“That £5,000 barely covers your pension payments that weren’t paid. Your month’s salary that wasn’t paid.
“You might end up with £1,000 or £1,500 on top instead of your redundancy package.”
The former employee said none of the droves of claimants had taken the deal.
Source: eadt.co.uk