Former staff of the Hamilton School in Aberdeen may now sue its directors for tens of thousands of pounds after workers failed to receive their monthly wages yesterday.
Employees are seeking information on launching a joint civil claim in the courts to get their pay.
About 50 former staff at the school in Queen’s Road attended a meeting yesterday with welfare advisers and conciliation service Acas after they were made redundant on Wednesday.
Jenny Gillon, a former nursery practitioner, said after the meeting: “We have got many hurdles to overcome but a joint claim is something that is now being considered.
“I think it will help us go forward. We are all sad that the school has closed but we also feel bitter and angry. There is a need to get what is ours.”
Nearly 80 workers – including teachers, nursery nurses, cooks and maintenance workers – lost their jobs after directors Kathlyn Taylor and family called in the liquidators. The move came after Scottish Government shut the school, saying it was no longer safe for children to attend.
The nursery was also closed after the Care Inspectorate referred several child-protection concerns to police.
It has also emerged that preparations are being made to sell the school and surrounding land, which property sources in Aberdeen claim could raise up to £10million for the Taylor family. A statement said the family had no option but to sell and were “devastated” by the developments.
Trainee practitioner Madeline Piwnicka, 25, said she was “frustrated” at the situation both she and her mother, Anila, 48 – who also worked at the school – had been left in.
She has been forced to find work in a hotel to pay her bills.
Ms Piwnicka said: “It feels like we have worked hard and worked honestly for the school but are now expected just to have volunteered for the past month. We have been treated like idiots.
“We have found out that the building could be worth £8million to £10million, but they do not have the money to pay us our wages. I think it is unfair and it feels criminal to us. In this very lawful country, it feels wrong that employees can be treated like this.”
Aneta Piatkowska, 26, a care worker in the nursery, added: “We thought the school would close but we never expected we would not have our salaries.”