Former GAME workers furious at late wage admission

Nearly two thousand former GAME and Gamestation staff in the UK have only discovered today that they will not receive either payment for their notice periods or redundancy.

Staff at GAME’s Northern Irish stores were given the same bad news earlier this week.

What has irked most for those who received confirmation in the UK, however, is that their letters from PwC confirming the situation have arrived exactly one day after the vast majority of them have finished their last day of work.

GAME went into administration last Monday.

PwC sent out forms to all staff, got mine today,” former GAME worker Russell Adams told MCV. Conveniently the day AFTER we finished work saying we’ve to claim wages. Absolute joke, could take seven weeks!”

Another reader added: We were told we could claim back what they didn’t pay, not really true, statutory notice pay lot less than in my contract!”

Although existing staff are unsurprisingly relieved that it seems what remains of The GAME Group will exit administration early next week, those without a shop to return to have also expressed annoyance that they will go unpaid while the business continues to trade.

This all occurs on the backdrop of ongoing protest in Ireland, where some sacked workers continue their sit-in protest at closed stores.

We have yet to receive formal written communication from GAME or PricewaterhouseCooper, their appointed administrator in the United Kingdom,” the latest statement from the Irish group, released today, claims.

GAME or PricewaterhouseCooper did not give GAME Employees statutory notice of these events, which is required in Ireland, and further to this, we have been told that we will not be paid any of our statutory entitlements by GAME or PricewaterhouseCooper and we should apply directly to the Irish Government in order to receive them.

In fact they said to apply to the government and gave us a UK government web link because they could not be bothered to remember that the Republic of Ireland is a different jurisdiction. Currently, our people are actively engaged in sit-in protests in 11 of our stores as an objection to the treatment we have received.

GAME employees risk losing their homes and the security they provide for their families. As you can imagine, staff are frightened and anxious for their futures. We are also worried for the futures of the next Irish workers that will be put into this same situation.

The Irish economy cannot sustain itself as it currently stands, never mind having to pay what is legally due to Irish workers of foreign businesses and branches of such who leave the country rather than fulfil their obligations.”