Employees win back pay case after boss's death
An industrial tribunal has awarded employees of a West Country accountancy firm back pay and redundancy money after it heard they were left to manage on their own when their boss committed suicide.
Penzance chartered accountant and Cornwall County Councillor Ken Furse, 49, killed himself after being arrested in connection with a mortgage swindle.
The five employees of the firm, which traded under the name Furse Accountants, told the tribunal they had continued to work for five weeks, but had then decided to walk out as there was no-one to pay them. They were claiming constructive dismissal, back wages and, in two cases, redundancy payments.
Employee Stephen Matthews said: ‘The last pay cheque we received bounced because Mr Furse’s assets had been frozen.’