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'Barmaids just do it for the pin money': Brewery boss
A YORKSHIRE brewery boss has been accused of "living in the dark ages" after he appeared at an employment tribunal and said barmaids only worked "for pin money".
The throwaway remark angered pub managers who were sacked by Tadcaster-based Samuel Smith Brewery after they protested over plans to reduce staff working hours.
Publicans Pam and Frank Marshall have brought a test case for unfair dismissal against the brewery and the outcome will determine similar claims by another 15 Yorkshire managers.
While giving evidence at the couple's Sheffield employment tribunal, brewery director Humphrey Smith said: "All the bar staff only come to work for pin money anyway."
The comment was branded "insulting" by Jayne Phillips, solicitor for the Marshalls. The brewery, which is the oldest in Yorkshire and was established in 1758, has a reputation for selling the cheapest beer in the county at an average of 1.40 a pint.
Over the years it has courted controversy by banning music, pork scratchings, TVs and dogs in its pubs. It also provides no facilities for smokers.
Phil Bown, regional organiser of the Unite union which has brought the tribunal cases, said after the hearing: "Samuel Smiths have behaved diabolically. Their attitude is that they are the Lord of the Manor and the rest of us will be put in the stocks and thrashed if we don't obey. It is like going back to the Dark Ages.
"I can deal with old-fashioned but I can't deal with bosses who look down on bar staff as being from a lower class. We are not prepared to doff our cloth caps to them." If the Marshalls' claim is successful it could cost the brewery tens of thousands of pounds in compensation.
Mrs Marshall, 47, and her husband Frank, 54, have worked for Samuel Smith for 39 years between them.
They took over as joint managers of the Holly Bush pub at Edenthorpe, Doncaster, in July, 2002. The couple were allowed to employ bar staff working up to 89 hours a week to help them in their duties.
But in December, 2007 they got a memo from the company saying the staff hours must be reduced to 45 hours a week which would have meant sacking barmaids and increasing the Marshalls' workload.
Mrs Marshall told the tribunal: "We were concerned that this would impact on the high number of hours that we already worked and the cut in staff hours would impact on the smooth and successful running of the pub."
The Marshalls lodged a grievance claim with the company but Mr Smith threatened them with dismissal and said if the barmaids' wages were not cut the money would be taken out of their salary.
After the Marshalls failed to attend a disciplinary hearing they were sacked by letter on April 15, 2008 and told to vacate the premises immediately.
Samuel Smith said they were sacked for gross misconduct "for failing to comply with a reasonable management instruction".
The company told the Sheffield tribunal last week that other pubs were operating comfortably on the basis of reduced hours. They said the couple should have reduced staff numbers as instructed irrespective of the fact they had raised a grievance over the matter.
Samuel Smith said they faced soaring costs in the current trading climate and had chosen to cut staff hours to reduce costs rather than put 10p on a pint.
Mr Smith told the hearing: "If we put more on the price it would have hit customers and hit our output. If the price went up production in the brewery and consumption would inevitably come down."
The tribunal's findings are expected next month.
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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