CATHEDRAL workers who secured a five-figure damages payout after winning an unfair dismissal case will only receive a fraction of the cash, it has been revealed.

Six staff at Durham Cathedral bookshop sought compensation after their employment was terminated without warning in January last year.

Joan Cummins, Lyn Yard, Carol Ross, Susan Bolam, Elizabeth Towns and Eleanor Jones were all employed at the store located within the historic cathedral.

Durham Cathedral Shop Management Company (DCSMC), which is run by American brothers Philip and Mark Brewer, were found liable to pay compensation

The pair took over a number of cathedral bookshops in the UK from the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge in November 2006.

The women had claimed for a range of damages, including failure to honour redundancy pay, unfair dismissal, breach of contract, unpaid work, loss of holiday pay and failure to pay notice.

The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills was named as the second party in the case and as liable to pay redundancy cash owed to the six.