Will you drink in Wetherspoons when pubs re-open?

[foxy]

Aye because jobs for (generally) unskilled workers and students are in abundance and they can walk out of one job straight into another no bother!

For those who have worked all their days in the pub trade it’s really difficult to move jobs. The U.K. pub trade that has been in massive decline over the last 15 years (in 2006 there were 58.2 pubs per 1,000 population, and this has reduced to 47.6 in 2018).


You can treat your staff like ***** whilst still operating within the law. There’s plenty that you can do that’s legal but morally questionable.

I would think that getting rid of a large number of staff when you’ve reported profits of £102M in your last financial year, and there is a government furlough scheme that will cover 80% of all salaries below £30k p.a, then responding with “get a job at Tesco” would trump any articles or employment tribunals I can find through Google.

Besides, most constructive dismissal cases etc will be the fault of bar managers etc taking a dislike to staff members rather than the actions of head office. There won’t be any court cases about the bars being short staffed, being under pressure to sell more of a particular product etc etc.

No one is bending your arm up your back and forcing you to drink there, it really is comical that the to an froms have to have a discussion on a home brew thread about whether to go and have a pint in Wetherspoons. Does no one have a mind of their own?

 

[MickDundee]

bad upkeep of the bar/toilets,

TBF if there’s one thing my local Spoons definitely can’t be criticised for us the upkeep of their toilets. I’d even go as far as saying I’d be willing to go for a number 2 in the Jolly’s bogs!

 

[Oneflewover]

I work for my money and will spend it where I want. There has been a lot of snobbery on here about the types that drink in wetherspoons. And you're above them because?

I won't bother giving that the reply it might deserve other than to say it's not about snobbery or being 'above' anyone (). It's about choosing where you spend your money to try to make the world a better and fairer place, if only in a very small way.

 

[Northern_Brewer]

Why does politics have anything to do with conscience?

Let's just say that for many people politics is *all* about conscience - indeed, a former Labour PM said "The Labour party is a moral crusade or it is nothing".

If I want to go out for a drink I don't care what the landlords politics are, I am in the pub to have a beer, if the landlord is cheaper selling the same beer as the pub up the road but I don't like that he supports labor, I am not going to the pub selling the same beer just because he supports liberal.

You have to understand that

a)Brexit was not just another party political issue - it is one of those once-in-50+ years events that cuts across party lines and reshapes them, it touches people in a way that's not like normal politics. I don't know Aussie politics well enough to suggest an equivalent, maybe the nuclear power thing - but amped up 10x.

b)Martin broke the first rule of hospitality - which is to be hospitable. It's one thing for a landlord to have political views, but at least you can normally find a quiet spot away from the bar and ignore him. Martin was aggressively pushing his views everywhere from the TV to beermats in the pubs, and made it pretty clear that 48% of the population was not particularly welcome in the pubs. He was the one who politicised the pubs, when they should be a neutral venue for people to talk (which may include talking politics).

 

[MickDundee]

No one is bending your arm up your back and forcing you to drink there, it really is comical that the to an froms have to have a discussion on a home brew thread about whether to go and have a pint in Wetherspoons. Does no one have a mind of their own?

Surely this thread is a forum for debate on the ethics of what Tim Martin has done? You clearly think it’s acceptable, others including myself obviously think it isn’t. This response feels a bit like you’ve run out of counter-points so we should probably just leave it there.

 

[the_quick]

To defend Foxy, he never said it is OK to treat you staff like sh$t.

But it looks like he is saying as longs as it is legal , make you money how you like. Social ideas that you treat your staff well, pay them well do not matter - capitalistic view - Foxy please correct me if I wrong, I don't want to put words in your mouth.

Me on other hand, I believe you should, money is not everything. If you treat your staff well and pay them well, very often they work better. Life is not about making money. I need money to live, I don't live to make money.

But of course, I have a choice and my choice is not to drink there, many people will still do and I will not criticise them - everyone choice.

 

[MickDundee]

b)Martin broke the first rule of hospitality - which is to be hospitable. It's one thing for a landlord to have political views, but at least you can normally find a quiet spot away from the bar and ignore him. Martin was aggressively pushing his views everywhere from the TV to beermats in the pubs, and made it pretty clear that 48% of the population was not particularly welcome in the pubs. He was the one who politicised the pubs, when they should be a neutral venue for people to talk (which may include talking politics).

Up here the actions were a bit more subtle, probably because he knew Scotland was more pro-EU than England was anti-EU. I did think the U-turn over European drinks was laughable as soon as he could get a few cut price lorryloads of Tucher, Warsteiner and Flensberger.

 

[foxy]

Surely this thread is a forum for debate on the ethics of what Tim Martin has done? You clearly think it’s acceptable, others including myself obviously think it isn’t. This response feels a bit like you’ve run out of counter-points so we should probably just leave it there.

What has he done, told his staff to get a job at Tescos, how evil could he be, pointing his staff to an alternative employer throughout the closure of the establishments, must be the devil incarnate. Leave it up to the staff who got entrenched, see if they return, my money says they will.

 

[alsch890]

I've never had a problem with eating/drinking in a 'spoons before, been in a fair few around. But I think I will be reluctant to use one after lockdown (if I am ever allowed back home to the UK!) following his response to COVID. I am from Norwich originally so we share the same hometown but it doesn't soften my opinion of him. Having said that, boycotting Wetherspoons is also going to hurt the employees, be they returning or new so its a tough one.

 

[the_quick]

Has he U-turned on EU drinks? I wasn't aware of that lol

 

[MickDundee]

What has he done, told his staff to get a job at Tescos, how evil could he be, pointing his staff to an alternative employer throughout the closure of the establishments, must be the devil incarnate. Leave it up to the staff who got entrenched, see if they return, my money says they will.

The point is there was no need for him to do that. May I repeat for the umpteenth time we have a government-funded furlough scheme that will reimburse employers 80% of wages of any furloughed staff up to a gross salary of £30k p.a.

He did is purely because he thought he’d get away with it. There isn’t even an obligation to fund the remaining 20% themselves and given people’s lower outgoings he should have just put them on furlough on 80% pay in the first place instead of doing what he did and doing a U-Turn when everyone turned on him.

As for your “Leave it up to the staff who got entrenched, see if they return, my money says they will”, the alternative at this point in time is (probably) long term unemployment so of course they’ll be back at Wetherspoons after their furlough leave is finished - they don’t really have any choice if they want to live.

 

[MickDundee]

Has he U-turned on EU drinks? I wasn't aware of that lol

I was drinking Flensberger in my local Wetherspoons in February.

 

[foxy]

I've never had a problem with eating/drinking in a 'spoons before, been in a fair few around. But I think I will be reluctant to use one after lockdown (if I am ever allowed back home to the UK!) following his response to COVID. I am from Norwich originally so we share the same hometown but it doesn't soften my opinion of him. Having said that, boycotting Wetherspoons is also going to hurt the employees, be they returning or new so its a tough one.

But it doesn't matter about the employees. Wetherspoons must be punished.

The point is there was no need for him to do that. May I repeat for the umpteenth time we have a government-funded furlough scheme that will reimburse employers 80% of wages of any furloughed staff up to a gross salary of £30k p.a.

Did they take any notice of the shutdown? No. Not until forced to do so. Is Wetherspoons going to pay the breweries that supplied them? No they are a big concern a few guys boycotting them fro The Homebrew Forum is going to make any difference ? No

 

[MickDundee]

Did they take any notice of the shutdown? No. Not until forced to do so. Is Wetherspoons going to pay the breweries that supplied them? No they are a big concern a few guys boycotting them fro The Homebrew Forum is going to make any difference ? No

Who said it would? Just because me not wanting to give Tim Martin any money isn’t going to make Wetherspoons close down doesn’t mean I’m suddenly going to want to give him my money.

This is about people’s personal feelings about something that the Wetherspoons owner has done, in most people’s opinions, unnecessarily. I’m really not sure why you think laying off staff when the government would have funded their wage anyway is acceptable but you do and you’re entitled to your opinion so I’m going to draw a line under our discussion here.

 

[MickDundee]

Having said that, boycotting Wetherspoons is also going to hurt the employees, be they returning or new so its a tough one.

Or conversely it might persuade Wetherspoons to treat their staff like actual human beings and encourage those of us who are reluctant to go back to return.

 

[foxy]

Who said it would? Just because me not wanting to give Tim Martin any money isn’t going to make Wetherspoons close down doesn’t mean I’m suddenly going to want to give him my money.

No one is forcing you to spend your money in Wetherspoons, looking at their profit and loss I doubt whether they care. Has no one got any proof about how the staff are treated?
As I have said,no one forces employment on anyone else.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

The question is not about forcing anyone to go it's a straight yes or no when pubs reopen.

 

[Clint]

One amazing thing about Wrexham branch is how sticky the toilet floor is. You really can't wear slip on shoes if you need to go....plus there is usually an aroma of stale puke...

 

[MickDundee]

As I have said,no one forces employment on anyone else.

How many people working full time in minimum wage can afford to leave their job tomorrow with nothing to go to? I don’t know how it works in Australia but in the U.K. you don’t get unemployment benefits for 3 months if you leave your job voluntarily. Many of those in minimum wage jobs are living hand to mouth as it is.

 

[Tanglefoot]

Tim Martin could do with taking a leaf from Julian Richers book. He has managed to build a very successful business by treating his staff extremely well ( ditto John Lewis partnership/waitrose ). Richer Sounds founder hands over control of hi-fi and TV firm to staff