The group went into administration last Friday (22 May) with 2,500 job losses. EY has been appointed administrator. 

Employment law solicitor Deana Bates wrote in a post on law firm Simpson Millar’s website: “If you work for Specialist Leisure Group or any of their other well know travel and leisure brands like Shearings, you’ve just found out that you’ve lost your job because the business has gone into administration.

“You probably don’t know that you could make a protective award claim for up to 90 days’ pay, as long as there were more than 20 people working in the same location as you.”

A protective award is compensation awarded by an employment tribunal when an employer did not consult with a person before they were made redundant. If the former employer is insolvent, the Insolvency Service will pay the award, but the amount is capped at eight weeks pay.

Bates said this was because those affected “had not been given proper consultation of redundancy”.

The law firm advised using the “Protective Award Eligibility Checker” on its website, adding it could deal with such claims on a no win, no fee basis.