Stein praises his staff – then says: I won’t pay you
RICK STEIN is refusing to pay his workers’ wages despite speaking publicly of the importance of looking after them.
The seafood king told staff they will not be paid for over a month while his restaurants are closed.
Fellow celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay yesterday laid off more than 500 of his staff after temporarily closing his restaurants.
Those employed by Stein and his former wife Jill, with whom he still runs the company, will get no money until the end of April, when the Government is expected to pay wage subsidies to businesses that have shut down.
Workers voiced anger at how Stein, 73 – whose restaurant empire started in Cornwall and now stretches across the country – had talked publicly about their importance while leaving them unable to pay their bills.
He has posted several messages on both Instagram and Twitter in the past week about looking after his staff.
On the company’s Instagram
‘Firm would be gone in weeks’
page he wrote: ‘ Our attention is now on how we get through this challenging time so we can continue to look after our people and customers for many years to come.’
But in a message on the company’s internal message board, managing director Ian Fitzgerald told staff: ‘We cannot afford to pay anybody after March 21. If we were to do that the company will be gone within a few weeks.’
He added: ‘This is a terrible thing to be telling you, but it is the most responsible thing we can do to save your job.’
He said that once the Government salary subsidy scheme comes into effect, staff ‘will receive it immediately. If we can find other funding from our bankers and insurers, we will make payments and these things may happen within weeks.’ Labour MP Rachel Reeves, chairman of the business select committee, said it was unacceptable for employers to refuse to pay their staff until they receive Government support, which might not come until late April.
Last night Mr Fitzgerald said: ‘Rick and Jill are committed to looking after their staff and suppliers and the best way they can do that is to ensure they still have a company at the end of this terrible time, that everyone can keep their job. Their responsibility is for the long term. If we honour staff salaries in the meantime the company may have to close permanently.’