A director surveyor who spent nearly half a century with the same building firm has been awarded more than £145,000 after one of Jersey’s oldest construction groups collapsed this summer.
The Style Group – including Style Windows, Style Homes, Style Interiors and long-standing construction firm AC Mauger – confirmed that it had ceased trading and intended to enter winding-up procedures on 14 August 2025.
In a letter sent to staff and seen by Express, the company said “the challenges facing the business have made it impossible to continue”.
It continued: “In order to protect all parties’ interests we have needed to place all payments on hold, and that unfortunately includes salaries and wages.”
Staff were asked to return all company property “with immediate effect”.
Director surveyor Stephen Romeril had worked for AC Mauger for over 49 years before his employment was terminated without notice when the company shut down.
He lodged a claim against his former employer, seeking compensation for unfair dismissal as well as notice pay, holiday pay and unpaid wages.
The case was heard by the Jersey Employment and Discrimination Tribunal, which ordered that AC Mauger pay Mr Romeril a total of £145,141.
This was made up of £87,819 for unfair dismissal, £23,418 in statutory notice pay, and £3,903 in statutory holiday pay.
Mr Romeril also sought additional contractual payments, including enhanced notice pay, contractual holiday pay and unpaid wages.
Although these totalled more than £33,000, the tribunal’s jurisdiction for contractual claims is capped at £30,000, which was awarded in full.
In September, the Viscount’s Department issued a “notice of distraint” on “all moveable assets” of AC Mauger.
A notice of distraint is a formal warning from a creditor to a debtor that their assets will be seized and potentially sold to recover unpaid debts, such as taxes and social security contributions.