Britannia Hotel-owned hotel in Aviemore slammed after 'sacking and evicting staff with no notice'

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The Aviemore Coylumbridge Hotel is owned by Britannia Hotels
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Luke O'Reilly20 March 2020

A Highlands hotel has been slammed after apparently sacking and evicting staff with no notice.

In a letter that has emerged on Twitter, Coylumbridge Hotel in Aviemore, owned by Britannia Hotels, told staff to "vacate the Hotel accommodations immediately" and that their "services" were "no longer required".

Staff were also told to return any company property to the hotel before leaving the premises.

They will receive one week's pay in lieu of notice, as well as compensation for accrued holidays not taken, according to the letter.

It comes amid the coronavirus outbreak. Six people have so far died after testing positive for Covid-19 in Scotland, where there are 227 confirmed cases of the infection.

It read: "Taking the latest Government advice, this letter is to confirm that with effect from 19th March 2020 your employment has been terminated as your services are no longer required.

"Your final payslip will include all hours worked up to and including your final day, together with any accrued holidays not already taken and one week’s pay in lieu of notice.

"You are asked to vacate the Hotel accommodations immediately, returning any company property to John Macfarlane, Hotel Controller before leaving the hotel.

"I would like to take this opportunity to wish you every success in securing future employment and thank you for your time at Britannia Hotels."

One staff worker Alvarito Garcia posted his letter of dismissal on Facebook.

He claimed 30 staff members had lost their jobs as a result of the move. There has been no confirmation of the number of people affected.

He added: "Also, I have to say all my bosses in the hotel are good people this comes from above and they cant do anything i got precious time whit them i hope they have best in their life."

The Scottish Tourism Alliance weighed in on the controversy, calling the company's action "deplorable".

In a statement they said: "This is not reflective of the approach of any business we know, or our members, and all have come out to condemn the deplorable actions of this company.

"Aside from the approach the letter sent to employees lacked any compassion or humanity in tine: it was cold, brutal, and shocking. We have never encountered anything like this."

The news of the staff's homelessness was met with an outpouring of support from members of the public.

George Gaff posted on Facebook:"To all the staff affected by this shocking news please get in touch with me at Rothiemurchus Lodge, we can offer a bit of relief up to 7 days accommodation to allow time to get things in place.

"Accommodation is warm comfy and the offer is open to all staff who have been told to leave.

"We can't just sit back and let this happen. Please get in touch."

A message in red at the top of the hotel's Tripadvisor page said that reviews had been suspended due to the uproar.

The message read: "Due to a recent event that has attracted media attention and has caused an influx of review submissions that do not describe a first-hand experience, we have temporarily suspended publishing new reviews for this listing.

"If you’ve had a firsthand experience at this property, please check back soon - we’re looking forward to receiving your review!"

The decision also drew ire from politicians, with Scottish Finance Secretary Kate Forbes and Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey MP Drew Hendry condemning the move.

Ms Forbes described the treatment of staff by Britannia as “heartless” on Twitter, while a post on Mr Hendry’s Facebook page was inundated with offers of work and accommodation for the workers affected.

He said: “Got to say, where the letter from the Coylumbridge Hotel was shocking, it is just fabulous the way the wider community is rallying round with offers of support for those affected on my FB page.

“Well done to our communities.”

The Standard has contacted Britannia Hotels for comment.

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