Dundee Fishers Tours buses up for auction as staff wait for wages
Fishers Tours buses are being advertised for auction as staff wait for answers over unpaid wages and pension payments a week after the Dundee firm ceased operating.
No formal liquidator or administrator has been named and drivers and mechanics are no further forward in making claims for pay, holiday entitlement and redundancy settlements.
The Courier visited the Mid Craigie yard on Tuesday afternoon to put questions to the directors, but there was no one at the site.
A fleet of 10 Fishers Tours coaches have been placed on auction website Sweeney Kincaid, which is due to go live in June.
Prices are advertised on the website, but a 2015 Plaxton bus used by Fishers Tours can cost between £122,000 – £155,000.
Fishers staff were told last Monday the company would cease operations that Friday.
As well as leaving employees 'high and dry', Fishers operated contracts to take Angus pupils to and from school, which had to be hastily rearranged.
A number of bookings were cancelled with limited warning leading up to the closure, and one Dundee children's charity lost a £1,000 booking after being told to 'claim it from the liquidator'.
Staff were told pension payments had allegedly not been made by Fishers since the beginning of the year.
And they are still waiting for answers on the company's liquidation, more than a week since being told their company was closing.
'We're all still in limbo,' one driver told The Courier.
'We left on Friday with no paperwork and no replies to any of our emails asking for the information we need.
'This includes who the administrators are, what will happen to holidays and wages due, a letter of redundancy confirmation or pensions information.
'There are no case numbers yet, to apply for money owed. We were told there would be administrators by Tuesday morning. This hasn't happened.
'Now there are more than 20 lads all panicking. It's an absolute joke.
'All the buses were removed from the yard on Monday.
'How long do we have to wait? It's an absolute shambles.'
Some staff have been interviewed for jobs at other firms, with Xplore Dundee owner McGill's confirming they had approached former Fishers' employees.
A spokesperson added: 'We are in discussion with the local authority regarding the provision of school transport services for pupils in the Dundee area affected by the collapse of Fishers. We remain ready to assist where necessary.'
Angus Council has secured home-to-school travel for eligible pupils on Fishers routes until the end of term.
They could not comment on what steps they would take to recover public money paid to Fishers for the transport contracts.
But only pupils provided with a travel pass issued by Angus Council will be permitted to board the services. A previous arrangement where young people could use their national entitlement card to travel to school has been stopped.
A spokesperson added: 'Arrangements are in place to cover all home-to-school transport routes for entitled pupils from Tuesday 27 May.
'You can read the most up-to-date information on our school transport webpage.
'We will consider all relevant matters in due course, but it would not be appropriate to comment further on these issues publicly at this time.'
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