Charlottetown tech support company cuts 50 employees

An Island employer has cut its workforce by nearly half.

Server Sitters, an online tech support company with two offices in Charlottetown, cut 50 employees last week.

Draper Bulger, one of the former employees, said the cuts came out of nowhere.

"I had worked my final shift on April 27," said Bulger.

"I thought everything was fine.I was going to come back from a long weekend back to workand then, all of a sudden, I'm out of a job. I mean I was with the company since 2013. I thought I'd at least get a heads up."

'No fault of the company'

Paul Schoolfield, the CEO of the tech company, wrote in an emailto CBC News that the employees were laid off because they all, "serviced one large client and that client surprisingly canceled service."

Schoolfield said no advance notice was given to employees because the company didn't receive any notice from the client.

He wrote that when notice was given to the company they passed it on to their employees.

"Immediately upon cancellation a notice was sent out via email within hours, managers notified workers on the floor, and a sign was setup at the office," wrote Schoolfield.

Schoolfield has confirmed that no severance pay will be given. In the email hesaidthe company has been in touch with the P.E.I. Labour Relations Board and that "severance pay isn't due when it's at no fault of the company."

Schoolfield added the company isworking to "pay out hours and vacation pay."

'I'm in a tough spot'

Bulger said he's disappointed in how everything happened.

"I have been with the company for years. There was no heads up, no warning. And certainly after hearing there may be no severance, I'm in a tough spot," said Bulger.

Bulger said his next move is to start looking for a new job.

"At this point, I'm hitting the job search. I filed for EI.I take it one day at a time, but it's not very optimistic," said Bulger.

Bulger added he and other workers plan tocomplainto the P.E.I. Labour Relations Board about the lack of severance.

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