A Trendy pub chain has received more than 60 complaints relating to poor practice and ill treatment of staff - including claims they did not deal with sexual misconduct matters and Covid outbreaks.
Bosses from MacMerry 300 met with union reps to discuss a litany of grievances lodged by employees earlier this month.
The MacMerry chain, run by Phil Donaldson and AJ McMenemy, includes Dundee bars the Draffens, the Bird and Bear, and the Luchador in Glasgow.
The two entrepreneurs also run the Abandon Ship bars in Glasgow and Dundee with Richard Davies.
The Record has previously detailed how more than 70% of their current workforce signed the collective grievance accusing the firm of breaching health and safety and Covid rules, not paying staff properly and of sexual impropriety by several staff.
In the days after the complaint was lodged, Mr Donaldson publicly accused the union of trying to drive the firm out of business and urged staff not to turn out at rallies in support of the workers.
But the Record can now reveal that some of the claims against the group include:
- staff were asked to conceal positive covid tests and attend shifts while awaiting results.
- staff were exposed to potential carbon monoxide poisoning from faulty equipment
- chefs were at working in 40C+ heat due to poor kitchen ventilation
The Record has seen photographic evidence of poor hygiene, soaring temperatures in fridges and kitchens, and correspondence between company bosses that suggests safety issues went unaddressed for months.
In one communication sent in March 2020, Mr McMenemy says of the faulty fire door: “We are knowingly endangering the lives of the public and have been in contravention since it was made known to us in July [2019].”
And an end of shift report also seen by the Record, notes: “After...a day in the kitchen at 40C, the chef had to be persuaded not to walk out on more than one occasion.”
The Record has also spoken to several MacMerry employees who have detailed what they say are “rampant” issues within the company.
Ewan McCallum, 23, of Dundee’s Bird and Bear gastropub, said: “They were being very blase about their Covid regulations and certain venues were expecting people to work despite positive lateral flows."
Ewan says he was once asked to switch off the mains supply at Bird and Bear while standing in knee-high sewage water following a huge flood.
Brittany Varney, who works at the Frank’s pasta bar venue in Dundee, said staff were forced to spend Christmas alone in isolation, after a worker who tested positive was ordered to come to work.
The 23-year-old said: “I had a member of staff awaiting a PCR who says she was told by our general manager to come in anyway,” she said.
Ross Campbell works at the Abandon Ship Glasgow bar where a picket was held after the grievance was published by Unite.
He claims that during a shift there in September, he and others got no break over the course of 14 hours.
“Everything looks nice on the outside but there seems to be this ‘hustle culture’,” he said.
Another employee claimed on social media she was groped while on shift at the Glasgow venue and said the incident to be played down by management.
She said: “I was working for Abandon Ship Glasgow until December, when I quit due to a member of management telling me, in response to being groped by a customer, ‘well as long as he’s spending money’.”
Trade union rep Bryan Simpson has branded it “some of the worst mistreatment of workers I have ever witnessed in hospitality”.
During a tense and occasionally heated five-hour sit-down with Unite on Wednesday, MacMerry bosses are understood to have several opportunities to apologise for the scores of failings within the company.
Bryan Simpson, from Unite Hospitality, said: “During a five hour collective grievance meeting our leading members from every Macmerry/Abandon Ship venue delivered a scathing array of evidence which confirmed some of the worst mistreatment of workers I’ve ever witnessed in hospitality.
“Directors confirmed that they would be launching a thorough and independent investigation into the serious issues and will be carrying out a full pay and conditions audit within the next week.
“We intend to hold them to all of their commitments and would recommend that directors engage with Unite on a collective basis going forward to ensure that this does not happen again.”
Richard Davies commented on the claims on social media.
He posted: “I trust Macmerry and Abandon Ship to investigate and address all issues raised.”
Phil Donaldson said: “Until we’ve dealt with all matters in hand internally we don’t wish to make any further comment.”
HMRC told the Record it could not comment on its dealings with MacMerry.
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