More on KentOnline
More on KentOnline
Teenagers working at a now shut frozen drinks company say they have been left in limbo after not being paid for three months. College students and part-time workers at the Bluewater branch of Loud Slurp have made various attempts to chase missed payments.
The drinks kiosk, which opened at the Greenhithe shopping centre in August, sells frozen milkshakes, ice creams floats, chocolate brownies and other sugary treats.
Former employee Abbie Rea, from Gravesend, took on part-time shifts at the stall in November, racking up 15 hours in her first month, but says she has only been paid a third of that.
The 16-year-old North Kent College student said she queried this with her manager but was told this was a "payroll thing" and it would show up in their next pay slip.
But the drinks kiosk shut without warning on January 5 and she says no one has been paid since.
"Me and the other employees were supposed to be paid on January 3," she said.
"Loud Slurp then said we’d be paid on the January 6, but then shut down on the 5th after I worked a full shift.
"None of the now redundant Bluewater staff have been paid, we’ve all been in contact with Loud Slurp and Bluewater but absolutely no progress has been made.
"To be completely honest we’ve all had enough and simply want the money we worked for, it isn’t too much to ask for."
The slushy store, which claims on its website to have a partnership with Coca-Cola, uses the brand in its products, selling frozen versions of the famous soft drink.
Numerous efforts have been made by KentOnline to contact the company, former store managers and the payroll company via email and phone but no response has been given.
The company has not posted on any of its social media channels since December 28.
Bluewater was also approached for comment but declined saying it was unable to speak on behalf of individual retailers.
Another ex-employee, who did not wish to be named, says the company owed her between £500 and £600, and another worker at least £1,700.
The 18-year-old student from Dartford said: "I had to use all my savings. A lot of us pay our own rent and car insurance and need this money to live."
She is now consulting the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS).
Loud Slurp has two other store locations in the UK at shopping centres in Birmingham and Sheffield, both of which are understood to have shut.
Crew members from those shops have started a WhatsApp group with disaffected workers at the Bluewater branch to discuss courses of action.
In a message shared to the group, one Birmingham worker wrote that he had started ACAS proceedings having been forced out of his university accommodation because of the three months wages owed.
Loud Slurp has been contacted for comment.
