FOUR-in-five hospitality workers fear they will no longer be able to pay household bills, a new survey from the Unite union has found.
The survey of 600 workers was carried out as thousands of staff were laid off in bars, hotels, restaurants and cafés across the north this week.
Dozens of pubs across the north began pulling down the shutters last Sunday, taking their lead from their counterparts across the border.
On Tuesday, The Merchant Hotel-owner, the Beannchor Group, announced it would temporarily lay off 800 staff across its portfolio of pubs and restaurants.
On Thursday, the La Mon Hotel confirmed it would temporarily lay off the majority of its 190 staff.
Unite hospitality organiser, Neil Moore, said the survey revealed that staff in the industry were overwhelmingly more fearful of the financial consequences of the Covid-19 virus than they were its health implications.
“Almost four in every five hospitality workers (78 percent) said that they were worried that couldn’t pay household bills and cover living costs as a result and 68 percent said they were worried that it would reduce their income – that compared to only 42 percent who said they were worried about becoming ill from the virus.”
The union said its research found that few businesses had taken any steps to reduce risks from the virus. Fewer than two-thirds (59 percent) reported that their employer had improved hygiene and only 42 percent said that hand washing and sanitising facilities had been provided while 38 percent said that workers’ hours had been cut as a means to reduce risks.
“The thousands of hospitality workers who have already lost their jobs or been laid-off in companies like Beannchor are likely to be joined by thousands more in coming days,” said Mr Moore.
“The consequences of unpaid layoffs are particularly brutal for student-workers who can’t claim any benefits. While over a third of the sector, employed on zero-hour contracts face difficulty claiming benefits and are likely to get only a small fraction of the meagre £29 a day statutory guarantee payment – which itself only lasts for five days.”
The union organiser said: “At a time of serious concerns around the spread of the coronavirus, young workers are being failed by the inaction of the political leaders.
“They face being thrown into destitution as the hospitality sector collapses in a near free-for-all in the face of the coronavirus downturn.”
