STAFF at a popular Glasgow bar and restaurant have been told they will have their pay cut and will no longer receive the real living wage, a union has claimed.
Staff at Brel in the city’s west end were reportedly promised an increase but bosses have backtracked, with wages being downgraded to the national minimum wage instead.
The current real living wage, which is voluntary, is £10.90. Meanwhile, the national minimum wage in the UK is £10.18 for those under 23 and £10.42 for those over 23 outside of London.
A spokesperson for Brel disputed the decrease, saying it was "factually incorrect" and that they were in fact moving to a "more sustainable model".
The spokesperson claimed that staff were set to make more per hour due to "a service charge, 100% of which is shared between the team".
They said that the average pay for the pub’s front-of-house team was £13.14 per hour between April and June this year.
The union representing staff, Unite Hospitality, have called on the bar’s parent company to change their plans.
They are meeting with Itison today to appeal.
They tweeted: “Workers at Brel in Glasgow have been told that they will no longer be paid the real living wage and will be reduced to minimum wage.
“Our reps shall be meeting @itisoncom tomorrow to appeal.
“The parent company made £5.5m in 2021 (most recent figures).”
🚨 BREAKING 🚨 Workers at Brel in Glasgow have been told that they will no longer be paid the real living wage and will be reduced to minimum wage. Our reps shall be meeting @itisoncom tomorrow to appeal. The parent company made £5.5m in 2021 (most recent figures).
— Unite Hospitality (@FairHospitality) June 27, 2023
The union's lead organiser, Bryan Simpson, told STV News: "For such a profitable company to decide (with very little notice given to workers) to revoke their commitment to the real living wage is not just morally reprehensible, it may present a breach of contract and failure to consult with staff."
A spokesperson for Brel said: “Factually incorrect information has been circulated online including wildly inflated profit figures and suggestions of pay cuts. We want to clarify with the facts.
“The full front of house team at Brel, regardless of age, were paid an average of £13.14 per hour between the period of April – June 2023, following a change in pay structure.
“60% of our Brel team are under the age of 23 – and we opt to pay the same rate of pay, even though government guidelines would allow us to pay significantly less.
“These figures represent a substantial increase on take-home at the same time last year and are higher than the current rate of Real Living Wage at £10.90.
“As part of the change in pay structure, amidst well-documented cost increases across the supply chain, we elected to move away from the voluntary Real Living Wage in place of a more sustainable model.
“Extensive planning and forecasting was undertaken before implementing the changes to secure the long-term future of the business, and jobs of our incredible team.
“As part of this, we introduced a service charge, 100% of which is shared between the team.
“This has resulted in a substantial increase in monthly take-home alongside an industry-leading benefits package.
“As this is an ongoing grievance and we are committed to a fair appeal process, it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time.”
