Marco Pierre what?
His restaurant tries to make staff pay for walkouts & blames blunder
STAFF at a Marco Pierre White restaurant have been saved by the Sunday Mirror from having wages docked to pay for diners who leave without paying.
A manager at the celebrity chef ’s New York Italian at East Midlands Airport Yew Lodge Hotel, Kegworth, told workers walkouts over the past few months had cost the restaurant £646.29.
The message said: “Management has come to the decision that from today onwards staff will have to pay for any walkouts that he/she is responsible for.
“It’s not fair on the company to take on these losses.”
TV Hell’s Kitchen chef and restaurateur White, 60, is worth an estimated £33million. Many of his waiters and waitresses struggle to get by on minimum wages. But the threat was lifted after the Sunday Mirror contacted Mr White’s aides.
We asked what steps were in place to help staff deal with non-payers. A spokesman told us: “This seems to be a misunderstanding following an email to staff by one of our managers.
“As owners, we have never said that we will deduct these losses from staff wages or from tips. The message was to highlight the issue of guests walking out without paying which is a major issue across the industry.”
Unite union’s Dave Turnbull said docking staff wages would be illegal: “We are pleased Marco Pierre White
has made clear this was a mistake.
The company now needs to communicate to all staff this is not company policy and any attempts to impose it by managers will be reported to police.”
Leeds-born White was the youngest chef to achieve three Michelin stars but handed them back when he hung up his apron in 1999.
There are now eight Marco Pierre White New York Italian restaurants across the country, 23 steakhouses, two chop houses and four other restaurants.
Boris Johnson sparked anger last week by dropping plans for a bill guaranteeing flexible working and fair tips.
TUC boss Frances O’Grady said it: “Sent a signal that they are happy for rogue employers to ride roughshod over workers’ rights.
“Bad bosses up and down the country will be celebrating.”