Premier Inn owner faces protests over job cuts despite profits boom

Sky News
Updated ·2 min read

Premier Inn owner Whitbread is facing protests at its annual general meeting over plans to cut 1,500 UK jobs.

The demonstration comes as the firm reported on Tuesday a "strong performance" in the first quarter of the year, including a 1% rise in sales to £739m.

Unite has organised the protest outside the Dunstable headquarters of the hospitality company, which also owns restaurant chains Brewers Fayre, Beefeater and Bar + Block, this afternoon.

Whitbread sparked outrage earlier this year when it announced the job losses on the same day as reporting annual profits of £561m - a 36% rise.

Whitbread said the cuts were part of plans to build more hotel rooms and slash its chain of branded restaurants by more than 200.

In a trading update on Tuesday, the company said it was "confident" in its outlook for the year "underpinned by our strong commercial programme and good progress on cost efficiencies".

However, Unite - which Whitbread does not formally recognise - has accused the firm of failing to answer "basic questions" about the redundancy process and also claimed it has not properly consulted staff, some of whom live in accommodation tied to their workplaces.

The union's general secretary Sharon Graham said: "Rarely is a company so shameless as to celebrate leaping profits and dividends by announcing mass job cuts.

"But generating runaway profits while trampling workers is business as usual for Whitbread... Unite will be holding the company to account for its disgraceful race to the bottom behaviour and offering full support to our members impacted by these cruel and unnecessary redundancy plans."

Read more from business:
Train season ticket use collapses
Football fans targeted by retailers as grocery inflation eases
Business investment in UK 'rock bottom' of G7 nations

Speaking in a statement via Unite, an anonymous member of staff said: "I feel I can speak for quite a few people when I say we're all scared of what is coming.

"There are people out there not only losing their jobs but their homes too and there is little to no support from head office.

"We are now sat counting down the weeks wondering what will happen."

A spokesperson for Whitbread said it did "not accept these allegations".

They added: "The consultation process is still ongoing and as part of this we are seeking to find alternative opportunities wherever possible through the roles created by this programme and our existing recruitment process that makes [around] 15,000 hires each year.

"We expect to retain a significant proportion of those who wish to remain with us and are providing dedicated support to our teams."

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next

Latest Stories

  • This Gen Xer thought he was too old to work at Google. Then he landed a $320,000 job at the tech giant without applying.

    Mark Boardman once applied for a Google job and didn't get it. A decade later, they made him a $320,000 offer, even though he thought he was too old.

  • LCBO workers on day 2 of strike that's shuttered liquor stores

    Thousands of workers for the Liquor Control Board of Ontario or LCBO remain on the picket lines of day two of the strike that shuttered all of the of the province-run liquor stores. Now it follows months of unsuccessful contract negotiations between the union and management, but it also focuses on concerns around Premier Doug Ford’s plans to increase alcohol accessibility across Ontario. Lexy Benedict reports.

  • Is the $1M nest egg irrelevant? 81% of retirees 65-plus with $50K-$100K in savings say they're living decently

    There’s no one-size-fits-all plan for retirement.

  • China cognac probe is a reaction to EU car tariffs, says Hennessy owner LVMH

    AIX-EN-PROVENCE, France (Reuters) - China's anti-dumping probe into Europe's cognac industry is a tit-for-tat reaction to European Union tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, the finance chief at Hennessy cognac owner LVMH said on Saturday. China announced plans on Friday for a hearing on European brandy imports, ramping up tension on the same day the European Commission's provisional tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles took effect.

  • John Deere to lay off roughly 600 employees from three US factories

    The farm-equipment manufacturer will lay off about 600 employees across three US factories as it shifts production to a newly planned facility in Ramos, Mexico.

  • The Best Place to Retire in England

    We recently compiled a list of the 20 Best Places to Retire in England and in this article, we will talk about the Best Place to Retire in England. Navigating Retirement Navigating retirement finances seems to be an uphill battle for many Americans approaching retirement. According to a study by Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE: PRU), […]

  • China autos group 'strongly dissatisfied' with EU anti-subsidy tariffs

    The China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) is "strongly dissatisfied" with anti-subsidy tariffs proposed by the European Union, the industry group said in a statement on Saturday. Manufacturers had cooperated with the European Commission's investigation into Chinese subsidies, but the inquiry had ignored the facts and preselected results, CAAM said in a post on the Chinese messaging app WeChat. The EU imposed tariffs of up to 37.6% on imports of electric vehicles made in China from Friday, with a four-month window during which the tariffs are provisional with intensive talks expected between the two sides.

  • China's tech boom powering AI career coup, with finance muscled out at top of salary pyramid

    China's rapidly expanding artificial intelligence (AI) sector has nudged aside finance to top the country's salary rankings for the second quarter of 2024, as Beijing's push for self-sufficiency in tech and the rush to capitalise on the industry's global popularity are helping firms in the field outpace the banks, funds and brokerages that have tended to offer the highest-paying jobs. Propelled by an explosion of demand as businesses race to develop and trial AI applications, jobs in this sector

  • 6 Sneaky Expenses That Can Wreck Your Retirement Budget

    With all the work that goes into saving and investing for retirement over your lifetime, you don't want to reach that stage of your life only to get caught off guard by certain costs. If you're not...

  • Bank Tellers Can Make Over $100k a Year – Here’s How to Become One

    A bank teller job could be the ideal entry-level opportunity if you'd like to help customers and gain banking experience. While the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) listed an average teller...

  • Former ASML CEO says US-China chip fight will continue

    The recently retired CEO of semiconductor equipment maker ASML said in an interview with Dutch radio station BNR on Saturday that U.S.-China disputes over computer chips are ideological and not based on facts, and they are set to continue. Wennink left in April after a ten year term at the helm of ASML that saw it become Europe's largest technology firm. Since 2018, the U.S. has imposed increasing restrictions on what tools the company can export to China, its second-largest market after Taiwan, citing security concerns.

  • Tech workers look like the real winners of the AI talent war

    The battle for AI talent appears to be driving up salaries.

  • Canada Puts Its Big Miners Off Limits Just as M&A Is Heating Up

    (Bloomberg) -- Canada is making it harder for foreign firms to acquire its biggest mining companies, potentially taking some of the global industry’s attractive takeover targets off the table. Most Read from BloombergBiden Narrows Gap With Trump in Swing States Despite Debate LossHedge Funds That Piled Into Big Tesla Short Stung by Huge RallyFrench Left Set for Shock Victory Over Macron and Le PenLe Pen Party Seeks Major French Election Win: What to WatchThe Canadian government will only approve

  • Santos Boss Is Racing Against Time to Build a Gas Giant

    (Bloomberg) -- Kevin Gallagher is in a race against time.Most Read from BloombergBiden Narrows Gap With Trump in Swing States Despite Debate LossHedge Funds That Piled Into Big Tesla Short Stung by Huge RallyFrench Left Set for Shock Victory Over Macron and Le PenLe Pen Party Seeks Major French Election Win: What to WatchA veteran of Australia’s oil and gas industry, the Scotsman has earned acclaim for transforming Santos Ltd into the country’s second-largest fossil fuel producer in under a deca

  • Top 3 Stocks Estimated To Be Undervalued On The Indian Exchange In July 2024

    The Indian stock market has shown robust growth, rising 2.4% in the past week and an impressive 46% over the last year, with earnings expected to grow by 16% annually. In such a thriving market, identifying stocks that are potentially undervalued could offer interesting opportunities for investors looking for value in a rapidly growing environment.

  • Here’s How Much You Need Saved to Retire Rich in the Average American Suburb

    With years of painful inflation squeezing budgets and making it harder to save, millions of Americans are wondering if they'll ever be able to retire at all -- and many of those who thought they had...

  • Swedish Exchange Value Stock Selections for July 2024

    As global markets navigate through varying degrees of economic recovery and uncertainty, Sweden's stock market presents unique opportunities for investors looking for value. In the context of current economic shifts and market conditions, identifying undervalued stocks requires a keen understanding of both sectoral performance and broader economic indicators.

  • China's BYD acquires 20% stake in Thai dealer Rever Automotive

    China's BYD will acquire a 20% stake in its local distributor Rever Automotive in Thailand, its largest market outside of China where it is an electric vehicle market leader, the companies said Saturday. The Shenzhen-based automaker opened its first factory in Southeast Asia in Thailand this week. Rever Automotive, which has over 100 showrooms in Thailand, launched the sale of BYD vehicles in 2022 and BYD soon became the country's top-selling EV brand.

  • Here’s What the Average Social Security Payment Will Be in 15 Years

    Most retirees plan to collect Social Security at some point. For people whose retirement is still a ways off, you may wonder what an average Social Security payment will look like in 15 years when...

  • Dave Ramsey & Suze Orman: The Retirement Investment Guide You Need To Be Successful

    Deciding when to retire is one of life's big challenges, though no more so than ensuring you have the funds to do so. Making sure you have a successful retirement involves having a solid, long-term...