Firm left with no workers after syndicate lottery win
Published: 2013 July 13 21:01:26 (5352 Views)
Ten members of a lottery syndicate have quit their jobs after they scooped a £28million jackpot in the EuroMillions draw.
A mother-to-be who was part of a lottery syndicate at work had an extra reason to be feeling queasy after suffering morning sickness.
Louise Whitby missed out on her share of a £28million jackpot of the EuroMillions because she couldn't get in to work at a recruitment firm in Kirkby, Merseyside, due to illness.
When she returned to the office the next day 10 of her colleagues had failed to turn up after the winning numbers were announced on Tuesday.
Miss Whitby, 31, last night claimed she has missed out on her share of the jackpot because she was off work with morning sickness when payments to their syndicate were collected.
She has now hired a solicitor to try to get her portion of the EuroMillions fortune that has been shared by ten workers at employment advisers A4e.
It is understood that Miss Whitby and the ten syndicate members were the only employees in the office.
Last night she told the Daily Mail that she had been paying into the syndicate for the past two years and had asked to put in her £2 weekly stake before their win on Tuesday, only to be refused.
The ten workers understood to make up the syndicate – who have all told Lottery organisers they wish to remain anonymous – will each pocket £2.8million.
Had Miss Whitby been awarded the share she claims, she and her colleagues would have each received just over £2.5million.
'That money will never buy them happiness,' she said last night. 'I considered them my friends, but I can never speak to them again.'
The winners are believed to have quit their jobs after their numbers – 16, 18, 31, 38, 49, and lucky stars 4 and 10 – came up. Miss Whitby, from Liverpool, added: 'I've paid into that syndicate every week for the past two years, but last week I was off work with morning sickness.
'When I came back in this week, I said I still wanted to pay in, but they said I should just buy some lucky dips with the money instead. Now they've won it, they've said I can't have a penny – it's unbelievable.
'I was away because I'm pregnant with my first child, it doesn't get worse than that. I don't think I can face working there ever again.'
A worker at the industrial park said: 'Hardly any of the staff arrived for work – it looks like other people were drafted in to cover for them.'
An A4e employee tweeted: 'In recruitment hell....all our staff in Liverpool office have left after winning lottery.' The tweet was removed a few hours later.
A4e is advertising for three jobs in its Kirkby office, including two adviser roles and an administrative role on the company's work programme, which aims to guide individuals back into employment.
While the two adviser posts are advertised with a salary of between £17,850 and £24,000, the full-time administrator is for a salary of between £12,150 and £16,425.
A spokesman for A4e said the company did not wish to comment on the matter.
The total jackpot was £28,847,237, making the ticket-holder the 16th biggest National Lottery winner.
A National Lottery spokesman would say only that the winner had claimed their prize and decided to remain anonymous.
- DM
A mother-to-be who was part of a lottery syndicate at work had an extra reason to be feeling queasy after suffering morning sickness.
Louise Whitby missed out on her share of a £28million jackpot of the EuroMillions because she couldn't get in to work at a recruitment firm in Kirkby, Merseyside, due to illness.
When she returned to the office the next day 10 of her colleagues had failed to turn up after the winning numbers were announced on Tuesday.
Miss Whitby, 31, last night claimed she has missed out on her share of the jackpot because she was off work with morning sickness when payments to their syndicate were collected.
She has now hired a solicitor to try to get her portion of the EuroMillions fortune that has been shared by ten workers at employment advisers A4e.
It is understood that Miss Whitby and the ten syndicate members were the only employees in the office.
Last night she told the Daily Mail that she had been paying into the syndicate for the past two years and had asked to put in her £2 weekly stake before their win on Tuesday, only to be refused.
The ten workers understood to make up the syndicate – who have all told Lottery organisers they wish to remain anonymous – will each pocket £2.8million.
Had Miss Whitby been awarded the share she claims, she and her colleagues would have each received just over £2.5million.
'That money will never buy them happiness,' she said last night. 'I considered them my friends, but I can never speak to them again.'
The winners are believed to have quit their jobs after their numbers – 16, 18, 31, 38, 49, and lucky stars 4 and 10 – came up. Miss Whitby, from Liverpool, added: 'I've paid into that syndicate every week for the past two years, but last week I was off work with morning sickness.
'When I came back in this week, I said I still wanted to pay in, but they said I should just buy some lucky dips with the money instead. Now they've won it, they've said I can't have a penny – it's unbelievable.
'I was away because I'm pregnant with my first child, it doesn't get worse than that. I don't think I can face working there ever again.'
A worker at the industrial park said: 'Hardly any of the staff arrived for work – it looks like other people were drafted in to cover for them.'
An A4e employee tweeted: 'In recruitment hell....all our staff in Liverpool office have left after winning lottery.' The tweet was removed a few hours later.
A4e is advertising for three jobs in its Kirkby office, including two adviser roles and an administrative role on the company's work programme, which aims to guide individuals back into employment.
While the two adviser posts are advertised with a salary of between £17,850 and £24,000, the full-time administrator is for a salary of between £12,150 and £16,425.
A spokesman for A4e said the company did not wish to comment on the matter.
The total jackpot was £28,847,237, making the ticket-holder the 16th biggest National Lottery winner.
A National Lottery spokesman would say only that the winner had claimed their prize and decided to remain anonymous.
- DM
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