In other news... UPDATED

UPDATED 29/03/2009: ENG gets in touch... (see end of post)

So there's this whole other industry out there which couldn't give two hoots about Lynx it seems. Which is nice.

Of more pressing matters, unsurprisingly, are people's wages. Specifically, those nice people at ENG. The company's been having problems paying on time for a while, and if this latest effort is to be believed, staff are still waiting for last month's paycheques.

Yes, someone's set up a website: ENG are tossers (site now suspended)

Here's what the website's creators have to say: "ENG (Emirates Neon Group) was one of the leading visual communications and outdoor media solutions companies in the UAE and across the Middle East. They delivered [skip to the end...] and outdoor media.

"Communication is all about engaging with people—so it needs to be persuasive and highly effective.

"Unfortunataly this pack of c**ts don't pay their staff.

"It is now the 26th of March 2009 and ENG staff have not been paid a penny of their February 2009 wages."

Ooops.

If this is true, it's definitely not good.

I feel slightly sorry for ENG, in that it wasn't its fault that it started a new venture (print mags) at what turned out to be the top of the market, only to see its main revenue source (outdoor) crumble in a few short months.

Having said that, if the firm had banked more of the swingeingly huge fees it was charging for spots on Sheikh Zayed Road, it might have avoided some of these problems. But that's by the by.

Here's hoping ENG finds a solution. We rather like Media Week. And iQ. And BH&W or whatever it's called - essential reading. Especially for insomnia.


UPDATE: Well, it looks like ENG has a bit of a bee in its bonnett about all these accusations over unpaid wages.

On Saturday I received a rather charming email from ENG's corporate communications department, which read as follows:

"Hi Eliot

Hope your having a great weekend.

I am writing with reference to the official Ad Nation blog, where you have uploaded a blog that mentions our company ENG. I wanted to bring to your attention that the content you are cross-referencing at [this post] is a misrepresentation of facts that harms the credibility of your professional body and the content has since been found to be against the legal obligations and the linked website has also been taken down by the hosting company.

In this regard, you are requested to remove the quoted text and all reference to it from the aforementioned blog immediately.

I look forward to your affirmation.

Regards

Asma Shabab
Asst. Manager, Corporate Communications, ENG"

I politely declined the request to remove the post - there's been too much talk around this issue in the market for it not to be credible.

I did suggest ENG might like to make an official comment - in which case it'll probably move this whole thing to the main site. Until then, watch this space...