Up to 60 staff at a Trowbridge care company whose jobs are threatened by the loss of a key Wiltshire Council contract have handed in a petition at County Hall.
Invictus Plus Care Ltd, of 22 Silver Street, Trowbridge, was issued with a 28-day notice of contract termination by the local authority.
When the 28 days run out on Sunday, July 7, the company says it will have to make up to 60 care staff immediately redundant and faces losing most of its 49 clients.
Now staff at the company are calling for a right to appeal the council’s decision to axe the company’s care provider contract.
READ MORE: Trowbridge care company jobs under threat as contract set to be axed
Invictus Plus Care has hired a Bristol law firm, DAC Beechcroft, to fight the council’s decision.
Invictus Plus Care offers live in care, supported living, domiciliary care services, night-time and respite care and caring for children.
The company’s registered manager Sally Davis says there will be “severe ramifications” once the contract expires.
She says 60 staff will immediately lose their jobs if the contract is lost and 49 clients are being moved to other care providers against their wishes.
She said that unless her staff find new jobs, they and their families face being deported by the Home Office.
Many of them come from Zimbabwe and Pakistan on sponsorship licences and are not automatically entitled to benefits or housing.
She said: "Our company, which has been providing care in the local area for over six years, will face immediate redundancies for up to 60 care staff members.
“Many of these employees are skilled migrant workers who have settled locally, some for over two years.
“This displacement will not only impact the care workers but also their dependents, many of whom have children enrolled in local schools and spouses employed full-time, predominantly within the care sector.
“The sudden loss of employment and community ties will cause substantial upheaval for these families and disrupt the local care ecosystem.”
Wiltshire Council leader, Cllr Richard Clewer previously said: “We regularly review the services provided by care companies to ensure they meet our high standards.
“We have sought legal and HR advice and have decided to terminate the contract with Invictus and change the provider for our customers to ensure they continue to receive these high standards of care.
“We are working closely with those people who will have a new provider to ensure they are given as much information as possible and the change is smooth and disruption is kept to a minimum.
“We are doing everything we can to ensure staff remain employed in the sector however the TUPE process is the responsibility of Invictus as the current employer.”
Cllr Clewer added: “This is a legal issue and while it’s not appropriate to provide more detail, we expect our care providers to give high standards of care and we are making these changes to ensure those high standards of care.
"We are talking to those people affected by this to ensure they know about a new provider in good time, and we will answer any questions they have."
In its latest Care Quality Commission inspection in February 2023, Invictus Plus Care was rated ‘Good’ for being caring, effective and responsive, but ‘Requires Improvement’ for being safe and well-led.
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