DEBT advice charity Rooted Finance left financially distressed individuals cut off from its services after it abruptly sacked two-thirds of its front-line staff and locked them out of their laptops.

The Independent Workers of Great Britain (IWGB), which is representing the staff, say that the debt advisers were suddenly sacked last Friday, the same day that union members announced strike action.

Workers requested trade union recognition in December and sent a letter to management, raising concerns around insufficient pay, inadequate training and poor working conditions.

They reported that chief executive Muna Yassin had shouted at union members in a meeting following the recognition request, and that management responded with disciplinaries and one-on-one meetings, which were interpreted as an attempt to intimidate them from taking action.

Workers refused to attend meetings, arguing that they wanted to deal with the issues collectively.

Just a few hours after workers announced their plans to take strike action, management dismissed them remotely and immediately locked them out of their work laptops. 

One worker, Zack, said he was in the middle of supporting a client in need when his laptop was remotely switched off.

“I am shocked that the charity I joined with such hope had been contorted by management into something so despicable,” he said. 

Another worker, Joseph Larkin, said:“I worry that management will try to sweep this under the rug, and that the first time our clients find out they have no caseworkers to support them won’t be from Rooted Finance, but will be from a bailiff knocking on their door.”

Rooted Finance has been approached for comment.