Ambridge Socialist
19th April
Oliver Stirling shuts Grey Gables & sells it. Workers must occupy to stop closure!
The owner of Grey Gables Oliver Stirling has claimed that the explosion at the hotel in early 2020 and the impact of COVID has meant that he has taken the decision to shut Grey Gables and sell it to a company fronted up by Mr Shah who has recently been staying at the hotel.
Grey Gables will not be sold as a going concern but will now close for at least 12 months and be relaunched as a new upmarket venue and eaterie for Borsetshire.
The Ambridge Socialist understands that Grey Gables has less than 20 staff so while individuals need to be consulted there is no legal requirement for collective consultation. While ‘generous’ redundancy payments were mentioned its not clear whether this will extend beyond the current statutory maximum capped at £17,130 for 20 or more years service.
Given that Sterling plans to close Grey Gables by early May and make people redundant the workers now have no choice but to occupy the building to stop closure. Their demands will no doubt need to be democratically discussed and agreed amongst the workforce and with Unite, where they are members.
Some possible demands:
Keep existing staff on while the hotel is refurbished, ready for the re-launch
For those who prefer to leave, offer enhanced redundancy payments from day one of employment (statutory starts at two years) with higher payments for those with limited service and a lift on the cap at 20 years service
Ambridge Socialist Editor Keith Flett said, Oliver Stirling cannot be allowed to get away with tossing long serving and loyal employees on the scrapheap at short notice. He needs to offer enhanced redundancy for those that want it and agree an arrangement with the new owners for continuous employment for those that don’t.
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