WE ALL FEEL CONNED; Manager sacked on the spot.

GARY Hill worked for Frank Wardale for a decade. The Timberlines transport manager was made redundant on the spot on October 31, 2003.

Approximately 40 other staff lost their jobs that day.

Mr Hill, 40, from Stoneycroft, said: "It was coming up to Christmas and there were employees with four kids and a mortgage just walking away in disbelief at having been made redundant.

"He got rid of people who had worked for him for up to 17 years. I was devastated at losing my job. I was gutted that this could happen having given him 10 years of my life.

"I had a feeling that things were not going well with the business because the company vehicles were being taxed for six instead of 12 months. I thought that was odd at the time.

"But I thought things might be getting better when I saw that Frank was driving a brand new Volvo a month before this all happened."

Mr Hill and eight other employees went to an employment tribunal to get their redundancy money and payment in lieu of notice. Mr Hill said they won the case but were paid compensation from the public purse because the company had gone bust.

CAPTION(S):

STUNNER: Gary Hill and other employees went to a tribunal to get redundancy money