Dave Thompson MSP

SKYE, Lochaber and Badenoch MSP Dave Thompson has called for all Woolworths staff who lost their jobs when the company folded to benefit from a compensation settlement.

Mr Thompson, a lifelong trade unionist and member of the GMB, made his call after it emerged that only staff who worked at larger Woolworths stores will benefit from a £68 million settlement secured by their trade union – USDAW – meaning that staff at the chain’s former stores in Dingwall and Fort William would receive no compensation for the loss of their jobs. USDAW national officer John Gorle said that the union now plans to take the decision to an Employment Tribunal Appeal hearing and is already preparing to take the case to Europe in case this later hearing is unsuccessful.

Dave Thompson, SNP MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch which covers the Fort William and Dingwall branches, said: “It’s extremely disappointing to hear those who worked in these branches are not entitled to compensation purely on the fact they worked in stores with 20 or less people.

“Politicians must unite to help put a stop to this unfair law – and work together to get the best outcome for the 1,000 Scots affected.

The hearing in England ruled that compensation was due to staff at larger Woolworths stores because of a lack of consultation in advance of the firm’s closure but that staff at smaller  stores did not have to be consulted.