A government department awarded a cleaning contract for a Douglas high school to a company that ’simply did not exist’.

And the company attempted to employ a ’well-known registered sex offender’ to carry out that work.

The revelations have emerged in an employment tribunal ruling.

Six former employees lodged claims against a company known as AFM alleging unlawful deductions and losses resulting from loss of employment in October 2017.

They were each awarded damages for unpaid wages at a tribunal hearing in December, but have still not received any money.

One of the claimants, Nathan Harwood, had worked for AFM as a cleaning supervisor at Ballakermeen High School in Douglas from July to October 2017.

During that period he had gone unpaid for five weeks and when he had been paid, it was often between five and seven days late.

The tribunal heard that Mr Harwood had applied for the job having seen it advertised at the Job Centre.

He initially believed he would be working for a company called AFM. However, he told the tribunal he was also aware there was a similar company called Absolute Facility Management Ltd, which he assumed may have been a sister company and was based in Northern Ireland.

However, on a pay slip received late, the company’s name was given as Ashbrook Facility Management Ltd.

Mr Harwood told the tribunal this was the first time he became aware of this company, which it appeared was based in Dublin and run by a Mr O’Reilly/Reilly.

His fellow claimants all had similar issues naming their actual employer.

The DoI’s contract signed in September 2017 referred to AFM Ireland Ltd, the tribunal heard.

In its findings, the tribunal highlighted the inconsistency caused by the ’misconduct’ of the respondent but was also critical of the DoI.

It said: ’What is unfortunate is that the department entered into a contract signed by a company (AFM Ireland Ltd) which, on the evidence available to the tribunal simply does not exist.’

In a witness statement, a DoI official explained that they understood the contract was with Ashbrook Facility Management Ireland Ltd, not with AFM Ireland Ltd. But that company does not exist either.

tribunal

No response to the tribunal has been received from another entity, AFM UK, based in Belfast.

In his evidence, Mr Harwood highlighted a series of examples of his employer’s lack of oversight on police checks, vital for those working in a school.

The tribunal report said: ’Mr Taylor [his then manager] instructed Mr Harwood to employ a person who was named to the tribunal but who the tribunal will not name in this decision.

’This person is well-known in the island as a registered sex offender and therefore could not possibly be suitable for working at a school such as Ballakermeen.

’Mr Harwood knew that this was not permissible but Mr Taylor said that with shortage of staff, it was essential that he be taken on but Mr Harwood refused to agree.’

It added that Mr Taylor had a ’lax and unacceptable attitude to recruitment with no heed to have DBS [police] checks and his instructions to hire a known sex offender to work at a school’.

Mr Harwood confirmed to the Examiner the sex offender named in the tribunal never worked at the school nor for the company.

The tribunal awarded Mr Harwood a total of £5,296.96. Fellow claimants Jason Oliver, Geoffrey Moore and Simeon Petrov were awarded £2,815.28, £1,190.19 and £3,482.53 respectively.

Anthony Gell and Dawn Neeson were awarded £5,386.34 and £2,410.96 respectively.

However, due to issues surrounding the actual company involved, the former coworkers have not yet received a penny.

The tribunal entered judgment against Ashbrook Facility Management Ltd but ruled it to be enforceable against any funds relating to the contract held by the DoI.

annoyed

Mr Harwood told the Examiner: ’I am very annoyed. We have been waiting nearly two years for this and we have been told every week since January that the government will pay us within the next few weeks and it never happens.

’We just want what is owed to us.’