An Indian-origin employee who blew the whistle on low wages by speaking to the press has paid the price with his job.
Kumaran Bose, a dedicated employee of Samworth Brothers, was sacked after the whistleblower exposed the food giant's efforts to dodge paying the new “national living wage.”
Bose worked at the company's Kettleby Foods bakery in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, for 12 years.
Samworth Brothers, which made pre-tax profits of £41.7 million last year, told the majority of its 7,500 staff in January that they faced reduced premium and overtime payments after the introduction of the national living wage.
Since April 1, all employers must pay their staff who are over 25 at least £7.20 per hour. This will rise to £9 an hour by 2019.
The food giant, which supplies products such as Ginsters cornish pasties to major supermarkets, has slashed overtime, night shift and Sunday rates, even cancelling paid tea breaks.
Bose became a vocal opponent of the new pay deal, and was shown the door after telling a reporter that the cost to some employees could be over £2,000.
A disciplinary investigation by the company concluded that Bose was guilty of gross misconduct for mentioning the £2,000 figure, which it said was misleading and “made to deliberately cause damage to the company's reputation.
Bose was sacked without notice or payment in lieu of notice.
Company president Sir David Samworth, who is worth over £400 million, was revealed as a major Conservative donor when the party released details of its funders in 1999.
