Unpaid Kwik Save staff 'desperate'

Many people are finding it difficult to feed their families or are having to borrow money from elderly relatives to keep a roof over their heads, said Paul Clarke, spokesman for retail union Usdaw.

"These people have been working for the past six weeks without pay. People are absolutely desperate," he said.

Ninety of the 146 original stores were closed on Thursday with the loss of 1,100 jobs. A further 81 supermarkets shut down last month.

Staff across the 146 stores had been working without pay for the past few weeks in an attempt to save the company. They now face a further six-week wait while they claim their money via the Government's insolvency service.

Mr Clarke said: "What we are hoping is that the process is accelerated and we are urging the Government to be aware that this is an unusual and unprecedented case."

Mr Clarke criticised Kwik Save for failing to support its workforce. He said many people felt let down by the company after they continued to work in the hope that the firm would survive.

"Now they find themselves, six weeks down the line, without a job," he said.

"It's a slap in the face for those workers who have done everything possible to support the company and at the end of the day they have ended up in unbelievable hardship and poverty."

Administrators KPMG have set up a freephone number on 0800 377 7302 to advise people how to claim the money they are owed. The union is urging its members to fill in the claim forms as quickly as possible to ensure they receive their money in the next few weeks.