OWNERS of a number of popular hospitality venues in Glasgow have U-turned on the decision to give their staff a pay cut.
Unions bosses have expressed “delight” at itison’s decision to reverse the wage cut – which could’ve been anywhere between 50p to 90p an hour for employees – as Brel announced they were going to stop being a Real Living Wage employer.
Bryan Simpson, lead organiser at Unite Hospitality, said: "We’re delighted that itison have decided to do a U-turn on their previous decision and will now be paying the real living wage rate of £10.90.
"We would now urge the company to become an accredited real living wage employer with the Living Wage Foundation so that they can rebuild the trust and reputation that has been damaged by their decision in May with workers and customers alike."
The Real Living Wage is a voluntary scheme businesses can choose to take part in; the national living wage is set by the Government.
At the time of the announcement Unite called the change "morally reprehensible" but Brel countered that the company had to move to a "more sustainable" wage model and added that wages are topped up to an average of £13.14 an hour by customer tips.
It said it had introduced a customer service charge, 100% of which is shared among staff.
Outwith London, the national minimum wage in the UK is £10.18 for those under 23 and £10.42 for those over 23. The real living wage is £10.90 for everyone over the age of 18.
A spokesperson for itison said: “Unite Hospitality has issued a series of social media posts today regarding itison venues.
“The posts are factually incorrect and misleading. Unite Hospitality had no involvement in any change of pay at Brel or any of our other venues. We are taking legal action against Unite for prior factually incorrect social media posts which are damaging to our business and team members who work there.
“We’re delighted to be at the forefront of pay and benefits in the hospitality industry and will continue to strive for what is in the interests of our teams and business.”
Brel also said that all staff, regardless of age, are paid the same rate and that the addition of customer tips represents a 14% pay rise.
The basic staff rate previously was £9.90, which was the previous Real Living Wage, before an increase to £10.90 in April this year.
