Workers not being paid at Spawell Licenced Premises

The union say that workers in the Spawell have endured a series of difficulties with regard to pay for several months now and it is time that the company sorted out their issues once and for all.

Mandate Divisional Organiser, Eddie Cassidy said, “In January 2009 staff were forced to take a 25% reduction in hours. At the same time they were given a commitment that their pay cheques would be issued on Thursdays. Since then pay has been issued on Fridays at 4:30pm and when the workers tried to cash in the bar they were refused only to have banks refuse to honour the cheques the following Monday. A cost of €4.50 was incurred by the workers for the bounced cheques.”

Mr Cassidy says that staff members were told in July that they would be paid on Monday mornings from the cash proceeds of the nightclub at the weekend. This was the case for two weeks in July but the company has now informed the workers that because a substantial amount of cash was stolen from the nightclub last Saturday night, they would not be paying staff for their services for another two weeks.

Mr Cassidy commented on the situation by saying, “The Company has behaved in a very irresponsible and unprofessional manner. Some workers were told that they’d be paid on Tuesday, 28 July but this did not happen. Irrespective of the robbery, the workers have completed their jobs and they are due money owed to them. Rumour has it that the company is going through a difficult period, but so are the workers at this moment in time. The least they can expect is honesty and payment for work completed. This is not how a professional organisation does business and it raises serious questions about the management or mismanagement of the Company.”

Mandate is currently deciding whether to take further actions with regard to C.B. Taverns who lease the Spawell Licensed Premises, up to and including legal or industrial actions.