Workers at an Altrincham-based manufacturing group have launched legal action after it placed two of its businesses into administration.
Cartwright Group axed around 480 jobs after the company fell into financial difficulty due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Both S Cartwright & Sons (coachbuilders), and Cartwright Fabrications ceased trading with immediate effect as of September 22, it is understood.
Now, workers who lost their jobs have begun the process of taking legal action against the company, which they claim failed to properly consult staff when making redundancies.
Staff at the firm's Broadheath head office were notified earlier this week via an audio message from administrators Deloitte, they said.
National law firm Simpson Millar said it has received calls from dozens of former staff and has now started investigations and are seeking to secure a protective award - payment awarded by an employment tribunal in cases where an employer fails to follow the correct procedure when making 20 or more redundancies - for those affected.
David Jones, an expert in employment law at Simpson Millar, said: “The current situation is making it difficult for many companies and it is no surprise that manufacturing firms are being significantly impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.
“Sadly, the collapse of both S Cartwright & Sons, and Cartwright Fabrications, has left many ex-employees out of work with little more than a moment’s notice and likely worried about finding alternative work given the current climate.
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“However, despite the current circumstances employers do still have a duty under current employment law legislation to carry out a proper consultation with staff at risk of redundancies.
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“Where this does not happen, they are able to bring claims for a Protective Award which would be paid out to those affected by redundancies where they have not been properly consulted.”
The law firm has launched an eligibility checker so that people can see if they are eligible to make a claim.
Where an employment tribunal finds in the favour of the employees, they will be able to access the funds of up to £4,304 via the government insolvency service, the firm said.