Exclusive: ‘I’m a single mum, I can’t work for no pay’: Contractors fear for jobs as payroll firm Parasol fails to cough up cash
Freelancers and contractors have been left in the dark and without pay for weeks after umbrella payroll firm Parasol suffered a cyber attack and failed to cough up cash.
Parasol, which provides payroll services and describes itself as the UK’s leading umbrella company, has not told contractors when they will be paid after a hack last week which it said “caused significant disruption to our services”.
The Warrington-based firm has blocked freelancers from accessing the MyParasol portal which allows them to submit timesheets and access information regarding pay.
Parasol contractors spoken to by CityAM say they have not been paid since December and have received no communication from the company over when they will receive their money in full.
Michelle Howells, a single mother and contractor who worked on NHS Test and Trace last year, said she was owed £1249 by the firm and has now had to leave her job because of the lack of payment from Parasol.
She told CityAM: “I have tried repeatedly to find out what is going on from Parasol but have not been able to speak to anyone.
“I’m a single mum and I can’t afford to work with no payment, so I have now had to leave my job.”
Talent Acquisition Partner Bradley Wilson said the last time he was paid by Parasol was the final week of December.
“We were informed Parasol would try to pay us similar to what we were previously, but the only payment I’ve had wasn’t even 50 per cent of what I earn weekly,” he told CityAM. “That was last Tuesday – there has been no further communication since regarding pay.”
Wilson said he was owed over £2000 by the firm had requested multiple callbacks via the website and received no response, despite the company sending repeated automated text messages claiming it had tried to contact him.
Another employee, Lavanya Kala, wrote on twitter that her payment was “thousands of pounds short.”
She wrote: “It is not in line with normal pay AT ALL. I’m still owed my salary from back in December. Which begs the question – where’s the money gone Parasol?”
The firm has faced a barrage of complaints on Trustpilot with contractors saying they had received no pay since December and no communication over payment.
Parasol, which uses the strapline “with you all the way”, said: “We recently suffered a cyber security incident that impacted some of our key systems and caused significant disruption to our services. We are working with a team of IT experts to ensure we get back to normal operations as quickly as possible and we have informed the relevant authorities.
“We know that this disruption is causing understandable concern among Parasol employees and we are very sorry for any inconvenience that has been caused.
“We have put in place contingency plans to ensure people continue to be paid and our support teams are providing information and advice over the phone and via our LiveChat function as well as providing regular email updates.”