Uni cafe workers have ‘no income’as bosses refuse to furlough them
Politicians demand a U-turn as students struggle to get by
Students working on zero- hours contracts are struggling to pay their bills after claiming the University of the West of Scotland refused to help them access the government’s furlough scheme.
The staff members, who are supporting themselves through their studies by working in the Paisley campus cafe and coffee shop, stopped working when campuses closed on March 20.
They were advised by the Department for Work and Pensions ( DWP) to ask the university to furlough them through the coronavirus job retention scheme.
But the university has turned down their request, saying a range of hardship funds are available.
Two MPs, Mhairi Black and Neil Gray, and Neil Bibby MSP have sent letters to the university’s principal asking him to resolve the issue.
As students, the 16 workers affected by the decision are unable to access Universal Credit.
One of them has said they were “feeling exploited and financially exposed”, adding: “I literally have no source of income.
“Others are very much in the same, and worse, situations.”
They believe other workers on full-time contracts will be getting paid.
Another staff member said: “The decision made by UWS not to furlough myself and my colleagues has left us without means of income through no fault of our own.
“What has disappointed us the most is that they will not give us a reason, they will only state that they don’t plan to furlough us and that our line manager will be in touch to discuss our options as students.”
Ms Black, MP for Paisley and Renfrewshire South, said principal Craig Mahoney had been asked to “intervene and resolve this”.
“At a time of crisis it is utterly inconceivable that a large organisation like UWS would leave their staff in the lurch like this,” she added.
Mr Bibby, Labour MSP for West Scotland, said: “This is yet more proof that we are not in this together.
“The economic fallout of coronavirus is hitting the low paid and those in insecure work hardest.
“There has to be a safety net to protect all workers experiencing a grave loss of income due to this virus.
“I hope that UWS will reconsider their position.
“We all know that universities are under huge financial pressure right now but so are these workers.”
His letter says he was “shocked and dismayed” by the treatment of the “most vulnerable of employees”.
It adds:“I am sure that neither yourself, your senior management team nor the majority of university staff face any financial detriment.”
A spokeswoman for UWS said: “Supporting our students is our absolute priority and, while the university is not putting anyone into furlough at present, we have a wide range of support available for our students which we are encouraging them to access.
“We absolutely appreciate that many of our students will be impacted financially and since the pandemic our student hardship funds have already supported hundreds of students.”
She added: “Our proactive and compassionate approach to providing our students with comprehensive learning and teaching, pastoral and financial support reflects our commitment to supporting them in every way possible during these truly unprecedented circumstances.”