Dozens of much loved pubs across Scotland in serious danger of pulling their last pint, warns GMB Union
Almost 50 Stonegate pubs across Scotland could close after the company issued a profit warning.
As GMB predicted earlier this year – and despite private equity owner TDR’s assurances to a parliamentary select committee in January – Stonegate says there is no guarantee it can continue as a going concern, as it struggles to refinance a £2.2bn debt mountain.
Stonegate is one of the largest pub companies in the UK, with more than 4,500 pubs and more than 19,000 workers, including brands like Slug and Lettuce, Yates and Walkabout.
The chain has 45 pubs across Scotland
GMB has written to Lian Byrne MP, chair of the Business and Trade Select Committee, asking him to recall TDR bosses in light of the profit warning.
Nadine Houghton, GMB National Officer, said: “TDR bosses are private equity gamblers- playing fast and loose with people’s jobs and lives.
“When their risky ventures go wrong, they swan off to their next project, leaving workers and communities to pick up the pieces.
“Now, dozens of much loved pubs across Scotland are in serious danger of pulling their last pint.
British Gas workers are burning the new contracts to show graphically their defiance of the imposition of hourly pay 15% below the agreed rate, says GMB Union.
Day six of the British Gas strike was ‘rock solid’ as an estimated 7,000 workers downed tools over the company’s plan to sack them all
Meanwhile angry engineers across the country are set to burn new contracts – which they have been told they must sign, or be fired in March:
In a show of defiance, engineers across the UK will burn new contracts tomorrow (Friday 22 January) at 10am:
London: Havering Town Hall, Main Road, RM1 3BB
Edinburgh: Scottish Gas call centre, 1 Waterfront Avenue, Edinburgh EH5 1SG
Cardiff: British Gas Customer Call Office, 4 Callaghan Square, Tresillian Way, Cardiff, CF10 5BT
Stockport: British Gas Office, New Bridge Lane, Stockport, SK1 2HQ
Members across the country – picketing at their vans due to the pandemic – will also be filming and photographing their contracts being burned at the same time.
Engineers and other workers will also down tools on January 22, 25, 29, 30, 31 and February 1 in anger as profitable British Gas provokes further disruption for its customers.
British Gas engineers and staff voted overwhelmingly by 89% to strike after boss of parent company Centrica Chris O’Shea threatened to fire them all if they didn’t “accept” cuts to pay and terms and conditions.
The strikes provoked by the company have caused massive disruption already – with an estimated 100,000 homes waiting for service across the country.
British Gas parent company Centrica reported an operating profit (before exceptional items and tax) of £901 million in 2019.
The operating profitability of its UK home heating business rose by 27 per cent in the first six months of 2020.
Justin Bowden, GMB National Secretary, said: “GMB members at British Gas are burning the new contracts to show graphically their defiance of the imposition of hourly pay 15% below the agreed rate – as well as other changes.
“This is yet another attempt get through to Mr O’Shea that staff accepting cuts of this magnitude in a profitable company is wishful thinking in the extreme.
“British Gas has provoked disruption to more than 100,000 households already in the backlog for services. That number will grow due to the seven new strike dates.
“The company needs to put customers and staff first by abandoning wishful thinking and taking ‘fire and rehire’ off the table.
Over 1,000 British Gas workers in Scotland will begin five days of strikes from 00.01 hours this morning (Thursday 7 January) as part of the biggest dispute seen in the sector for over forty years.
In a direct response to the ‘fire and rehire’ plan for British Gas operations laid-out by Centrica Plc Group’s Chief Executive Officer Chris O’Shea, over 10,000 GMB members across the UK four nations will take part in the action.
O’Shea has refused to accept efforts by GMB to negotiate a way forward for the business. Instead, after months of talks, workers have been told to accept the slashing of wages and conditions, or face being sacked.
All British Gas divisions and services, including Service & Repair, Electrical Services, Smart Metering, Installations, and Customer Services will be impacted.
GMB Scotland Senior Organiser for Commercial Services Hazel Nolan, blasted Centrica’s executives for their role in creating their own company crisis and exploiting workers during the COVID-19 pandemic:
“Today is CEO pay day, Chris O’Shea will take home a pre-bonus wage of £775,000, and Centrica have recorded a £901million operating profit for 2019.
“While GMB members in British Gas acted as emergency workers during the COVID19 pandemic, Chris O’Shea & the Senior Millionaires Team of British Gas were busy plotting how to slash workers terms & conditions.
“In the grip of a global pandemic, Chris O’Shea’s anti-worker, ‘fire and rehire’ agenda would set a dangerous precedent for major UK employers, opening the floodgates for widespread attacks on workers’ jobs, pay and conditions. This is not how a country builds back better.
“GMB members are being told they’ll be sacked and then forced to accept new terms and conditions – across the board cuts in wages pensions and leave. Take it or leave it. Centrica are turning a once great British industrial institution into a cowboy contractor.
GMB, the union for Asda workers, has written to company bosses calling on them not to sack 12,000 workers just before Christmas.
In an open letter to senior vice president Hayley Tatum, GMB calls on the company to withdraw its threat to sack all workers who don’t sign the controversial Contract 6 on November 2.
Earlier this month Asda workers handed in a 23,000 strong petition opposing the contract to Asda HW during a mass protest in Leeds.
Hundreds of people from across the UK gathered in Leeds to voice their anger.
Asda workers have been told to sign the contracts – which will see them lose all their paid breaks and forced to work bank holidays – or be sacked on November 2 in the run up the Christmas.
Dr Who star Paul Mcgann, who also starred in cult hit Withnail and I and Aliens 3, and Rob Delaney, who appeared in Catastrophe and Deadpool 2, both lent their support to Asda workers.
Latest company accounts show directors trousered a whopping £12million last year – and profits rocketed more than £92 million – at the same time Asda slashed 5,000 jobs
Gary Carter, GMB National Officer, said: “If Asda is serious about not wanting to sack thousands its employees on the run up to Christmas, they need to withdraw the dismissal notices and sit down with GMB to resolve this dispute.
“Asda has served notice on up to 12,000 of its loyal employees – that can not be right.
“The onus is now on them to save people’s jobs with a better deal that their employees can sign up to.”
