Metatec: Staff at Portsmouth chemical company left broken over months of unpaid wages

Employees at the Fitzherbert Road company Metatec Ltd have been left in the lurch after most of them stopped receiving their wages – despite, they say, constant promises from director Barry White and employee Don Laird.

Former longstanding sales director Peter Kolakovic told The News: ‘I’ve gone nine months without being paid and I’m having to go through tribunals. It’s been a nightmare for us all. Don and Barry won’t answer their phone.’

Metatec was formed in 1982 and specialises in selling chemical-based products such as zinc coatings, industrial lubricants for machinery and other adhesives.

NOW READ: Sunday Times names Portsmouth firm as one of UK's best places to work

The majority of deals were brokered in person, with sales representatives demonstrating how the products worked. Mr Kolakovic said Metatec pivoted into selling more items only through its website – alienating many customers.

One of their biggest partners is Metaflux, a German company which sold its products to Metatec. Mr Kolakovic said his pay problems started in the summer of 2022, as Metaflux stopped business deals with Metatec.

Staff were made redundant in 2023, including Mr Kolakovic – who was left ‘fuming’ by the lack of redundancy payment discussions and outstanding unpaid wages. He added that he had to rent out a room at his home to claw back vital funds.

He said: ‘It was all supposed to be done professionally, but all I got was an email after 22 years of work.’

Four other employees spoke out about not being paid, and The News understands more are affected. Former national sales manager Martin Jones, 63, of Horndean, went without wages for six months. He said: ‘It’s a total car crash. How they are carrying on is beyond belief.

‘He [Don Laird] kept saying we would be paid next week, then next month, and it just went on and on and on. Going without pay put me in dire straits over Christmas. Some of my gas and electricity didn’t get paid. It was an outrageous situation to put us in.’

Mr Jones said he was let go in January by email and has not received a severance package – only ‘lip service’ from Mr White.

Mr Jones said the move to online sales put major financial strain on the business. ‘Don made that decision because he’s an IT guy,’ he added, ‘He hides behind computers.’

‘No one else aside from Peter and myself have had an official letter of redundancy. You can normally draw a line in the sand, but so many others can’t.’

D Laird is listed as a debtor – someone who owes money – to Metatec in their most recent financial accounts, which are available on Companies House. The listing of ‘D Laird (Loan)’ states that he owed the company £265,444 at the end of March 2021, a sum which had grown to £373,327 by the end of March last year. The debt appears under Metatec’s assets, suggesting the company paid the money to Mr Laird and that it would be paid back. There is no suggestion of impropriety, but staff have said they want an explanation for the accounts entry.

Sale representative Martin Siddle travelled up and down the country selling products for Metatec. He said he’s not been paid since August, with his expenses also being owed from January 2022.

‘I’ve had nothing in writing about me being made redundant,’ the 65-year-old said. ‘It's been a hell of a lot of stress, living off of virtually nothing while working for them.’

Mr Siddle added that he had an insurance pay out after his flat was flooded, but had to use that money on essentials due to unpaid wages. ‘I’ve been left in a flat with concrete floors and unpainted ceilings,’ he added. ‘I was due to retire this year and was looking forward to winding down, but that’s all changed.

‘I’ve had to sign on to job seekers allowance and go through that humiliation. It’s not what I wanted to do at the age of 65. It’s been extremely stressful and traumatic. The business was flourishing at one point.’

Sales manager for Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, John Hughes, had been with the company since 1999. He has three children and a wife with a disability.

He said he has not been paid since July 2022, has not received a redundancy letter, and has been left out of pocket despite the sacrifices he made for Metatec.

‘I often travelled from Belfast to Cork, a trip of roughly 560 miles, in one day to complete a sale. Without being paid, it just makes me look like a fool.

‘I have no interest in the company itself any more. I would just like to get some of the money back that I’m owed.

SEE ALSO: Lidl to close Cowplain store as it's deemed 'no longer fit for purpose'

‘My sympathy has gone. I’ve been lied to constantly. Employees are owed tens of thousands of pounds.’

Ian Mclean, a self-employed salesman based in Glasgow, stopped being paid in August and is down thousands of pounds a month. He said: ‘We had to use our savings to keep ourselves afloat. Thankfully my wife was still working, but going from two wages to one is difficult – with no prior warning. It’s been difficult through no fault of my own. We’ve all been left to pick up the pieces.

‘It’s one thing being out of pocket, but we want some kind of justice. It is unlikely that any of us will get our money back.

‘You can’t treat people like that and just walk away. It’s terrible and shocking, especially for someone like myself who has been with the company for 24 years and has brought them a lot of business.’

Metatec declined to comment when The News visited their office on May 11. One employee present said that he had been paid.