A restaurant chain has asked furloughed staff to loan the firm part of their wages or face the sack, a union claims.
Staff who refuse have been told their "suitability for the role will have to be reviewed", it is claimed.In a letter to staff seen by the BBC, Tomahawk, which has restaurants in Yorkshire and the north east of England and recently opened a branch in London, says it has a "short-term cash flow issue and it requires your help and support".
It adds that the interest-free loan will be repaid "once the lockdown is eased sufficiently for the company to trade".GMB regional secretary Neil Derrick said: "It's never been easier or cheaper for businesses to borrow money than it is at the moment during the pandemic, but this business, Tomahawk, want it for free and they have solved their cash flow problem by giving a cash flow problem to their staff.
"Staff have been told that if they do not agree to the loan agreement their suitability for the role will have to be reviewed, and we all know what that means, that's a threat of dismissal."One member of staff, who did not want to be identified, said employees had been told about the proposal via video call.
What gives this company the right to mess with Furlough?. Furlough should not be a handout, a loan etc. It should be payed back to the Government like a Student loan by everyone who scrounged it during this pandemic whilst others risked their lives working through it!!!!
Guess where everyone is not going when restaurants open
Astonishing! Does that entitle them to a ‘profit’ share?
Doesn’t take a crystal ball but here’s a scenario. Staff loan the money, any NI and pensions no longer paid, owners close business anyway and do not pay their investors back whilst enjoying a good lifestyle on the taxpayer.
The furlough claim form on HMRC website requires you to tick a box confirming staff will receive their pensions, and you will pay their NI. Does Tomahawksteakhouse think it can legally tick that box, if it has been “loaned” that money by the furloughed staff themselves?
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tomahawk_steak nope, won’t ever get a penny from me now. Take a long hard look at your senior management etc. Big houses and expensive cars.. Who is suffering here? Your staff deserve better than this.
This is 100% true and they’ve been taking the 10% off stuff for weeks
Tomahawk Steakhouse (DARLINGTON) Company number 11867443
Sorry for the staff, but with this attitude of management, it deserves to disappear.
If it’s not illegal to do that, then it should be
Headline should be Tomahawk Steakhouse directors wright the companies suicide note.
Seems fair.
Another bullying employer
Frick them. This is blackmail
As a point of principle,I’d tell them to shove it where the sun doesn’t shine & provide diagrams if they needed clarification! Utterly disgraceful ultimatum.
This is outrageous. 😡😡😡
This has to be against some employment law, surely!
Here’s hoping all Tomahawk staff find new jobs elsewhere and the restaurant chain goes through . Disgusting bullying behaviour !
Is it any surprise after the constant lockdowns for the last year? Let them go bust then...
Ditch the job simples.
LOAN is a noun not a verb. “A restaurant chain has asked furloughed staff to loan the firm part of their wages”
Never herd of them so not worth beefing about it ...Lol.
Is this actually lawful? Whilst this has been reported it also needs investigating too.
Well I heard of shit company’s but this is the lowest of the low .
Whats the owners salary?
Well, we certainly won't be visiting tomahawk_steak once the hospitality industry reopens.
Goodbye Tomahawk?
That's blackmail
make no mistake there will be more attacks on workers rights from this league of empire loyalists government because they fear collective action
Surely this is not legal. I will not be spending my money here and suspect the people of the North East will remember this move for a while. Total greed on behalf of the owners.
So if they had stated that they have reviewed their business moving forward and then laid all their staff off...🤔 then what? Or liquidated then set up as the ‘new tomo’ what then🤔 For some it’s best to still have access to a job..! Or indeed investment in your own future..
If I was a member of staff there... Keep your money. If the owners have that shitty attitude - fuck ‘em.
Shame on those who produce, prepare, sell and/or eat meat, you are destroying your life and our planet!
I would be expecting payday loan levels of interest on my loan !
Hey ho never ending lockdown for u sheeps😉
Only a month to wait and tomahawk will fillet🤣
I would tell them to feck off and see you in court at my sacking tribunal
impatientdad suddenly their steak doesn’t taste so good! Seems odd to expand in lockdown and then ask staff to help out like this?!
I feel backdown approaching, or a tribunal. One way or another the company will fail with this. tomahawk_steak. We don't work like that in the UK.
Companies asking employees to take a pay cut in difficult times isn't new. What is dreadful and a huge PR mistake is tomahawk_steak apparently threatening employees who can't or won't loan them the money. tomahawksteak EpicFail
That’s extortion. The entire staff should quit. Customers should boycott.
Litigation ahead.
Amateurs, they should just find some over 75s to bully.
Surely this is a mi-steak! It's 'rare' that a company would 'steak' the piss to this level, but 'well done' tomahawk_steak you have acted well below 'medium' standards towards your staff! I find this 'flaming' outrageous because it's 'bloody' disgusting!
My firm made everyone take a salary cut of up to 20% 2 weeks after lock down. (Then announced at £500 million profite a month later). A loan would have been a better option.
Surely a misteak?
I'm guessing most employees are on or around the minimum wage so that 10% 'loan' will take them well below it as they are on 80% of their wage already.
If the loans turn employees into partners who gain from continued employment and systained share of future profits, then why not embrace a collective model?
1) Who, at Tomahawk, thought this was a good idea? 2) Did they not consider the impact of this little initiative going public? Trying to save your business by killing it - priceless!
Thats what I call facing the Axe
Loan = lend?
Interest free loan? - sounds like a pay cut with a promise to pay back later. I'd say they're trying to phrase it to make it sound as though they're not breaking min wage.
I'd maybe think it was okay, if they had asked staff ,with no recompense for saying no, to lend money to the business which was then paid back with interest.
Despicable.
If this is true surely what they are doing is illegal
Do them for unfair dismissal
A huge percentage of all furlough staff have no jobs to go back to when they open again. And furlough ends. Keep your Money in your own pocket
Face the sack? What's wrong with 'get the chop'…?
And will tomahawk in turn, give staff 10% of its profits? BoycottTomahawk
tomahawk_steak this is disgraceful
Hmmm im trying to think of somewhere nice to go for my wifes birthday meal. So it wont be here obviously
That the biggest Mistake that steakhouse has ever made .!
Good bye tomahawk 🖕
PriddingJosh
I work in the same sector and if it was a choice of helping out the business or being unemployed, I would be happy to help. Should not be forced upon the workforce though.... Thats very wrong. 80% furlough is generous but things still get a little tight at times...
Maybe they want a steak in the company
Tomahawk Steakhouse axes staff..?