The Stirrer in the Birmingham Mail

FIFTEEN SACKED IN ASTONBROOK "SMEAR"

04-07-2008

UNION officials have condemned the "scandalous" sacking of 15 workers at Birmingham's troubled Astonbrook Housing Association, which is at the centre of a fraud investigation.

Staff at the Highgate-based company were recently promised their jobs would be safe when a key contract was transferred to a rival service provider, but last Friday they were dismissed without notice.

Adding insult to injury, they were told they wouldn't be hired because of "mismanagement and fraudulent conduct" - a charge for which not a shred of evidence has been produced against them.

Accountants Baker Tilley who've been drafted in to look after the company's affairs insist that Manchester-based PPNW must legally hire these employees - but PPNW are refusing to do so.

In The Stirrer’s regular Birmingham Mail column, 22-year old Farah Daahir from Saltley, says she is “devastated” at losing her job after working as an allocations officer for Astonbrook to help pay her way through university.

To see the story in full on the Birmingham Mail site, click here

And don’t forget, you can read The Stirrer every Thursday in the Birmingham Mail

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