Ex-Widdowson Logistics staff retained at a successor company based on the same site as the collapsed haulier are apparently being paid by Birds Transport Leicester.
Leicester-based Widdowson Logistics was placed into administration on 23 January.
The process is being handled by Leonard Curtis. There has been no official update from the company's owner HLD Group or the administrator as to what has happened since.
But multiple sources have told Motortransport.co.uk that drivers retained at the currently unnamed business, which is trading from Widdowson Logistics’ headquarters at Mill Lane Industrial Estate, Glenfield, have received payslips featuring the Birds name.
Mark Pettifer, regional officer at Unite The Union, has been representing 36 drivers and three office staff affected by the administration. He told Motortransport.co.uk that Widdowson Logistics had ceased to exist but 18 drivers had transferred to a new company.
His members have been paid but are owed their week in advance payments from when they joined the haulier.
Pettifer said they had been told they would have to claim statutory redundancy via the government’s Redundancy Payments Service. He said other non-union warehouse staff are believed to have gone unpaid by the collapsed company.
“It’s a sorry situation and we’re seeking advice from our legal team,” said Pettifer.
Following a meeting with affected members on Tuesday (7 February) Pettifer understood the warehousing side of the failed business had been placed under the ownership of Glenfield Storage Solutions (also registered at the Mill Lane address), while transport is now under the auspices of Birds Transport Leicester.
Birds Transport Leicester incorporated on 14 October 2016 and is registered at Widdowson’s Glenfield address. Its director is listed as Demis Armen Ohandjanian, from Malta-registered HLD Group, which owns Widdowson Logistics.
He is also a director of Glenfield Storage Solutions as is Damion Davis (a director at Widdowson Logistics).
Birds Transport Leicester was created to facilitate the merger of Widdowson Logistics and Oldbury-based Birds Transport and Logistics.
However, Motortransport.co.uk has seen the redundancy letter sent to Widdowson staff on 23 January (pictured below).
It said: “It is with regret that we were not able to conclude a merger of the business with Birds, despite the best efforts of all the management team.”
Patrice Schneider, a director at Birds Transport & Logistics in Oldbury, confirmed that the merger had not taken place.
He said: “I understand from the shareholders that the plan is still to merge the two before the end of March.”
Schneider added: “ I am not sure under which company the drivers in Glenfield are being paid, probably Birds Transport Leicester. This is a subsidiary of HLD.
“Birds Transport and logistics is still operating out of Oldbury and is a separate entity.”
Davis Haulage, the Crewe-based chilled distribution firm and sister company to Widdowson Logistics was bought out of administration by competitor Buffaload Logistics last month.
