To: The UK Government. UK Hospitality .
Hospitality Workers fight against mass terminations. We deserve better!
On Monday October 7th, 1000 hard-working and loyal TGI Friday's staff were terminated across the company. 35 sites across the company were padlocked on the spot. Staff were terminated without notice or consultation. They were owed redundancy pay, notice pay and wages. They were given 57 minutes notice of a call many could not attend to be told their jobs were gone.
TGI Friday's CEO Julie McEwan knew the company was in difficulty for some time, but chose not to carry out meaningful redundancy consultations in good faith.
She chose to let the company sink and let the government insolvency service pick up the redundancy bills and unpaid wages.
Low paid Hospitality workers deserve better than this.
Thanks to the rapid work of the Unite (Hospitality) Trade Union, the workers rapidly mobilised and joined the union. Not only have they now recovered wages and redundancy payments they were told were not available, but are also looking to pursue a legal claim for a failure to consult.
The law needs to be strengthened to hold these CEO's to account so they are answerable to their workforce in the event of a redundancy situation.
We call upon the UK government to strengthen Trade Union rights in the workplace, including Union access rights to allow Union representatives to speak to staff in the workplace.
TGI Friday's CEO Julie McEwan knew the company was in difficulty for some time, but chose not to carry out meaningful redundancy consultations in good faith.
She chose to let the company sink and let the government insolvency service pick up the redundancy bills and unpaid wages.
Low paid Hospitality workers deserve better than this.
Thanks to the rapid work of the Unite (Hospitality) Trade Union, the workers rapidly mobilised and joined the union. Not only have they now recovered wages and redundancy payments they were told were not available, but are also looking to pursue a legal claim for a failure to consult.
The law needs to be strengthened to hold these CEO's to account so they are answerable to their workforce in the event of a redundancy situation.
We call upon the UK government to strengthen Trade Union rights in the workplace, including Union access rights to allow Union representatives to speak to staff in the workplace.
Why is this important?
Many UK Hospitality workplaces suffer low pay, precarious work and terrible contracts.
Workers rights are routinely supressed and trade union membership discouraged with the threat of victimisation.
Until we shift the massive power imbalance that pervades the sector, Hospitality CEO's will continue to treat workers with contempt.
To this end, we need to educate hospitality workers about their workplace rights, how to enforce them and the importance of belonging (and participating) in a union without fear of victimisation.
To this end, the UK government needs to strengthen Union access rights for trade union representatives to visit workplaces and speak freely with workers about the benefits of belonging to a Trade Union.
We also need UK Hospitality as the employer umbrella organisation to engage with Unite the Union (the UK's biggest union for hospitality workers) to help the sector become a better regulated and more attractive industry, and one not dominated by the most cynical capitalists.
Workers rights are routinely supressed and trade union membership discouraged with the threat of victimisation.
Until we shift the massive power imbalance that pervades the sector, Hospitality CEO's will continue to treat workers with contempt.
To this end, we need to educate hospitality workers about their workplace rights, how to enforce them and the importance of belonging (and participating) in a union without fear of victimisation.
To this end, the UK government needs to strengthen Union access rights for trade union representatives to visit workplaces and speak freely with workers about the benefits of belonging to a Trade Union.
We also need UK Hospitality as the employer umbrella organisation to engage with Unite the Union (the UK's biggest union for hospitality workers) to help the sector become a better regulated and more attractive industry, and one not dominated by the most cynical capitalists.
