A major football sponsor lived the high life as he faced a staff mutiny over unpaid wages. Hugh Clarke enjoyed a champagne lifestyle as he signed up for sponsorship deals for top football clubs, such as Livingston and Falkirk.
Last week, the Record reported how he faces legal action by clubs to recover cash they say was not paid to them by his firm Clarke ePOS. The Record can now reveal at least six employees of Clarke ePOS UK Ltd took action to claim unpaid wages.
The staff either resigned or were sacked when they demanded to be paid, forcing them to get their wages through third parties, such as the ACAS arbitration service.
Dad-of-two Russell Cameron worked for two months at the ePOS HQ in the Eurocentral office in Lanarkshire. He ended up getting no wages over Christmas. He won a settlement after going to ACAS and Clarke ended up getting fined.
Russell, from Paisley, said: “When pay day came I was told that I was getting nothing for another month because of lying time, which wasn’t in the contract. I let him know I wasn’t happy and he sacked me for supposed gross misconduct, without any hearing or right to appeal.
"I had to battle to get the money due and I didn’t get paid until last month. He was telling staff his accountant put £80,000 in his pension account by mistake.”
Another member of staff told how Clarke had an angry meltdown in the office in February after two workers decided they needed to leave due to no wages being paid.
The worker said: “Hugh came into the office and was screaming “you f****** a********, wtf are you doing? He hammered a fist on his desk and said we were screwing him over.” Clarke then walked one worker out of the office.
Another member of staff said: “He owed tens of thousands in salaries and refused to pay but we could see him popping up at Livingston FC matches in the hospitality area, doing the whole VIP thing.
"He also was telling people he’d bought a home in Gran Canaria and he’d been over there at the same time staff were being left with nothing. He also had the cheek to advertise for staff – yet couldn’t pay the staff he had.”
The Record last week told how Clarke ePOS UK Ltd was accused of reneging on deals. As well as Falkirk and St Mirren, he was involved with Glasgow Rocks basketball team.
Owner Duncan Smillie, who is also a director of Partick Thistle, told us: “This guy has been a charlatan, who gave us so many tall tales and excuses. Month after month he was giving us excuses.”
Legal action has been launched by Falkirk FC and Glasgow Rocks. Strathclyde Sirens pro netball team also claim to have been left high and dry by Clarke. Livingston FC and Ayr junior team Whitletts Victoria cut all ties with the sponsor.
Clarke contacted the Record to say that he is taking legal action against clubs that named him for non-payment of sponsorship cash. On the disputes with staff over wages, he said: “All that stuff is being dealt with.”
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