Workers at pub chain Wetherspoon’s claim that they have been forced to hand out political pro-Brexit leaflets – facing disciplinaries, bonus cuts or dismissal if they fail to comply.
Guardian Columnist Owen Jones has been collating anonymous Twitter messages, allegedly from employees of the UK firm, following an interview he conducted with CEO Tim Martin for the Guardian.
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“We the staff during the referendum were contractually obliged to put out pro-Brexit propaganda at the behest of Tim Martin’s personal agenda,” one such anonymous commenter wrote.
“The staff at my pub unilaterally agreed we did not support the propaganda and resorted to binning as much as we could until we started getting regular unannounced inspections from regional and head management to ensure compliance.
“It was therefore deemed gross misconduct for us to ignore directives from head office and non-compliance would be of course disciplined.”
Another shared a story of missing out on a bonus just before Christmas for failing to display material that endorsed Martin’s opinions.
Another Wetherspoons member of staff gets in touch: they had their bonuses docked because they didn’t share Tim Martin’s political propaganda. pic.twitter.com/gCBw3w2Etk
— Owen Jones (@OwenJones84) January 27, 2019
A Wetherspoon’s spokesperson exclusively told HR Grapevine that Owen Jones is entitled to share his opinions on the chain, but they do not agree. “Wetherspoon does look after our staff – we’ve been in the UK’s Top Employers list for many years,” he said.
Following the scrutiny on Martin’s political practices, a twitter account has been created attempting to unite Wetherspoon workers opposed to Brexit.
We’re Wetherpoon workers opposed to our boss Tim Martin’s reckless promotion of no deal Brexit while we work in terrible conditions for poverty pay.
We’re demanding a living wage and support free movement and remaining in the EU. Sign our petition! https://t.co/SO1kkTmbgo pic.twitter.com/dsPjoFkQ8q
— Spoons Workers Against Brexit (@SpoonsWorkers) January 27, 2019
When it comes to best practise for firms dealing with political issues, CEO of Reward Gateway Glenn Elliot advises that employers do not become too involved in the debate, so employees do not feel disenfranchised. “You don’t want to alienate part of your workforce by making them feel you dislike how they feel on what is a matter for personal choice and conscience,” he wrote in a blog post.
He added that managers should be keeping a check on how online life might affect how they are professional regarded.
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“As a leader, you need to be aware that your actions carry extra weight,” Elliot wrote. “So, every ‘like’ you post, or comments you make are heard loudly – use them carefully.”
When it came to sharing his opinions with his staff, Elliot put out a video for employees to inform them about the next stages in the Brexit debate to ensure all staff were up to date and rumours would not circulate. “I felt that the staff needed to see my face, hear the seriousness in my voice and see that I was speaking from the heart,” he said.
