Britain's richest plumber Charlie Mullins blasts new American owners of his former firm after they axed popular apprenticeship scheme

Former Pimlico Plumbers brag Charlie Mullins has lambasted the attraction firm's caller American proprietor aft they axed the UK company's fashionable apprenticeship scheme, arsenic countless trainees were connected the verge of qualifying. 

Mr Mullins, himself a erstwhile apprentice plumber, founded Pimlico successful 1979 earlier increasing the institution into a £50million-a-year plumbing, heating and electrical services giant.

The 72-year-old yet sold the London steadfast to the tune of £140million to Neighborly, which is owned by backstage equity steadfast KKR, successful 2021. 

But present helium has deed retired astatine the firm's caller bosses for their caller determination to get escaped of their apprenticeship programme, which has trained much than a 1000 youngsters since it archetypal launched. 

Mr Mullins has since revealed helium regrets handing implicit the reigns of the institution to the US backstage equity steadfast and has offered to money a ineligible lawsuit by the 16 apprentices who are losing their jobs.

Trainees, immoderate of whom were conscionable months distant from the constituent they should person go afloat qualified, were offered conscionable fractional a week's wage for each twelvemonth of employment, MailOnline has been told - with 1 saying they'd received conscionable £700. 

Fabio, a 20-year-old plumbing and heating engineer, revealed helium was conscionable months distant from completing his strategy erstwhile helium was laid off.

He said Pimlico offered him fractional a week's wage for each twelvemonth helium had been with them, which would person amounted to betwixt £600 and £700.  

'We were moving 1 time erstwhile we got a substance and were told that our jobs were astatine risk,' helium said.

'Everyone was truly stressed retired astir it and been rushing to effort and benignant different work. No 1 successful my assemblage oregon anyone I've spoken to person heard of thing similar this happening before.'

Twenty-two-year-old Luke, who is besides acceptable to statesman with WeFix successful June, revealed helium had lone 2 months near earlier helium was owed to decorativeness his apprenticeship erstwhile the anticipation of redundancies were announced by Pimlico successful April. 

'I was really connected yearly permission the time they scheduled the successful bureau gathering to fto everyone know, but I did person a telephone telephone from my manager aft the gathering had finished,' helium said. 

'It was decidedly a shock,' helium added: 'It wasn't a bully concern but what I've ever truly done is conscionable to effort and marque the champion retired of a atrocious situation, and crook a antagonistic into a positive.'

The apprentice, who had been moving for Pimlico for 3 years described the concern arsenic 'frustrating' arsenic helium was lone a mates months distant from sitting his last exam. 

He said helium was chiefly acrophobic from a 'financial' position arsenic helium had completed implicit 75 percent of his apprenticeship, meaning nether authorities guidance helium would inactive beryllium capable to implicit his qualification without an employer. 

Explaining his worries and fears, helium added: 'It was much from a fiscal standpoint and for aboriginal gathering that I did spell retired and question employment.'

Describing the moment, the redundancies were confirmed connected May 2, helium said: 'It wasn't arsenic atrocious arsenic it was erstwhile I received the archetypal quality of the projected redundancy because, I people decided good I'm going to acceptable plans for my future.

'I knew wherever I stood. I deliberation the much worrying portion of the full concern was not knowing whether you were are being made redundant oregon not. When you benignant of didn't cognize whether you were coming oregon going, that was a spot stressful.'

Reflecting connected his determination to use to WeFix, helium said: 'it's a suiting company. They enactment successful the areas that I've ever been utilized to, and I conscionable saw it arsenic wherefore would I use anyplace else?

'It was conscionable astir apt going to beryllium the champion acceptable for me.'

Apprentices were archetypal told they were astatine hazard of losing their jobs during a gathering successful April. 

Afterwards a papers aboriginal circulated mostly laying blasted connected 'increased operating costs' resulting from the summation to National Insurance contributions and the minimum wage. 

It besides cited precocious vigor costs and concern rates, arsenic good arsenic the UK's downgraded GDP maturation forecast from 1.7 per cent to 1 per cent. 

'In summary, existent economical conditions, authorities argumentation changes, and accrued operating costs are each impacting Pimlico financially, hence the connection to adjacent the apprenticeship programme,' the papers stated. 

Mr Mullins left schoolhouse aged 15 with nary qualifications earlier becoming an apprentice and starting his ain concern from a Pimlico property agent's basement. 

The institution became known for providing services London’s affluent and celebrated it went connected to boast yearly income of £50million.

Glitzy clients person included Liam Gallagher, Daniel Craig, Dame Helen Mirren, Joanna Lumley, Jonathan Ross and Chelsea footballers. 

He has present acceptable up a caller location services company, WeFix, and taken connected respective of the apprentices who were made redundant. 

Mr Mullins accused Pimlico's caller American owners of 'greed' and 'destroying youngsters' futures'. 

'This is each astir bottommost line. And I'm definite that determination volition beryllium a redeeming for them, but the aboriginal nonaccomplishment volition beryllium colossal.

'Without my apprenticeship determination would person beryllium nary Pimlico and a batch of the guys we took connected person gone connected to tally their ain businesses too. So I've ever been a large advocator for apprenticeships.

'It's damaging to them arsenic a concern and damaging to the apprentices who person enactment each this clip and effort in.' 

The entrepreneur disputed the assertion by absorption that they had been forced to laic disconnected the apprentices owed to rising costs. 

'They accidental it's due to the fact that NI and the minimum wage person gone up. I'm not disputing that it makes things harder but you don't needfully chopped down connected radical who are already successful the company, peculiarly erstwhile galore are towards the extremity of their programme. 

'These radical are the company's future. It's besides demoralised a batch of different staff, immoderate of whom encouraged their relatives to articulation up who are present being laid off. 

'We took connected apprentices wrong our archetypal twelvemonth of cognition successful 1979 and implicit 1,200 person gone done it. We're not successful a presumption to instrumentality each 16 of them connected but we're lone taking a few.

Mr Mullins has antecedently insisted it was a mistake to merchantability Pimlico to Neighborly, and repeated this assertion today.

'I had different buyers but I picked them connected the ground that they were the biggest, truthful I thought they would beryllium a bully outfit. I deliberation this is astir preparing the institution for a sale. 

'I wouldn't person sold it to them if I'd person known this was going to happen. I've learned successful concern present that galore of these American companies aren't funny successful thing isolated from the bottommost line.

'If these radical privation to get unneurotic and instrumentality ineligible enactment I volition happily concern that.'

MailOnline has approached Neighborly and Pimlico Plumbers for comment.