Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 1
Ex-Catering Workers Seek £4,850 in Unpaid Wages as Acas Cases Rise 17%
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 1

Ex-Catering Workers Seek £4,850 in Unpaid Wages as Acas Cases Rise 17%

1 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 1

Summary

  • Three former catering workers in Berkshire and Hampshire say they are still chasing £4,850 in unpaid wages and tribunal awards from firms linked to businesswoman Martha Lindeque.
  • Sonia Garcia Monuz says Viking Catering Ltd withheld her final £2,300 after she left in August 2025, while Joan Fullbrook and George Weal say Chef2Table Ltd never paid awards of £1,498 and £1,052.
  • Employment tribunal records show Fullbrook won an unauthorised-deductions case and Weal was awarded unpaid wages in January 2025, but both say the money remains outstanding; Fullbrook is now pursuing county court enforcement.
  • Acas said early conciliation cases involving unpaid wages rose about 17% from 2024 to 2025, and 49% of hospitality workers report problems at work.
  • Martha Lindeque declined to comment publicly, but the BBC said her position is that she strongly denies the allegations; Acas advises workers to document pay owed, raise a written grievance and, if needed, go to tribunal.

Insights

Why do legally binding tribunal awards leave hospitality workers penniless while employers face seemingly zero immediate consequences?
Could strict legal deadlines be a hidden loophole allowing businesses to escape paying thousands in withheld wages?
If an employer simply ignores a court order to pay, who actually steps in to force them to hand over the money?