Article by: Denis Sheehan, 26 July 2021.
The escalating people and skills shortages in hospitality have several component drivers, Brexit, Covid, remuneration, and many more. All are linked to historical issues, that many in hospitality have addressed, with others yet to.
The startling reality of some still unable to recognise change was brought home by a tweet from the Night Time Economy Adviser for Greater Manchester, Sacha Lord. The tweet read: “I despair. There’s a video on socials of an operator complaining that he can’t find any staff to accept minimum wage.
“The days of minimum wage in Hospitality are over. We need to pay staff properly, look after them and respect them. They are our frontline. Our engine.”
Most if not all in hospitality would agree with the statement as indicated by almost 6,000 other twitter folk ‘liking’ the statement. But who was he referring to?
Not much searching provided the answer, and he rather unfortunately can be seen and heard through the embedded tweet below.
“I wouldn’t vote Brexit ever again”
John owns a major nightclub in Manchester and is having a nightmare. All his EU bar staff have left the UK due to Brexit. He has no beer to sell because the lorry drivers also left to the EU and can’t deliver it. pic.twitter.com/uLtovxkkkC
— Byline TV (@BylineTV) July 22, 2021
The person in the video is John Hamilton, who owns Bar Pop in Manchester. He clearly states: “I voted as a businessman and I voted (for) Brexit.” Hamilton is now bemoaning that decision as the impact of Brexit is hitting his business. He can’t get the staff, and being specific he says he can’t find English people to do the jobs Europeans used to for the minimum wage. He is also as a business suffering from another consequence of Brexit, the lack of European delivery drivers causing shortages in beer deliveries.
In exercising his ego through accepting the interview, poor John once again put himself in the position of making the wrong choice.
The idea that Europeans, English people or any person of any nationality in hospitality is worth no more than the minimum wage is only held by people who know the price of everything and the value of nothing.
Hamilton displays a Dickensian attitude to people that fuels anti hospitality sentiment, and is central to hospitality’s people and skills crisis today.
So, don’t be like John, don’t be a hospitality dinosaur, because as you can see in the video it’s not a good look.
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Hospitality & Catering News: Dinosaur with links to hospitality discovered in Manchester. – 26 July 2021 – Dinosaur with links to hospitality discovered in Manchester.
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