Wetherspoons still needs a trade union
Wetherspoons has reported a substantial loss for the financial year to July 25th:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-58758701
The report of course set off the usual Remainiacs who claimed it was all to do with Brexit, as they hadn’t bothered to actually read it.
I didn’t agree with Tim Martin (I voted Remain) on Brexit anymore than I did with his dalliances with Johnson and Farage. He was however hardly unique in industry or hospitality in that.
The losses were of course due to the fact that Spoons pubs were either operating under restrictions (on numbers and opening times) or shut altogether for much of the year from July 2020 through to May 2021.
The picture will apply across hospitality where I suspect numbers of those still furloughed when the scheme ended on September 30th were to be found.
The report indicates that Wetherspoons has increased staff numbers in the recent period quite considerably, which might tell you something about working conditions elsewhere in hospitality.
Martin claims there are still recruitment issues and Brexit may be a factor there. Another factor however that he can do something about is recognising a trade union and making sure that pay and conditions are negotiated with the aim of retaining workers and allowing them to advance in the company if that is what they want to do (a minority where bar work is often a short term matter, one of the reasons why unionisation is difficult and why it would also help to stabilise matters all around by promoting retention of workers)
Grrrr