Famous television chef Gordon Ramsay has come under fire following revelations about his treatment of staff during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Yesterday, it was revealed that Ramsay has laid off 500 members of staff after being forced to temporarily close his group of restaurants because of government advice surrounding Coronavirus. Staff were reportedly called to a meeting at his Heddon Street Kitchen restaurant, where they were told their contracts were being terminated.
The employees affected include chefs, waiters and other members of staff, with an email later sent to employees stating that they would be placed on gardening leave for the duration of their notice period. The email also stated that staff would be paid up until 17 April, but that there was no guarantee that they would get their jobs back when the restaurants eventually reopen.
Ramsay, who is worth an estimated £185 million, has faced a barrage of abuse on social media for the decision. Chef Anca Torpuc, a former chef de partie at Bread Street Kitchen, tweeted:
“Such a shame to see how the company that you worked for and gave everything you had for 2 years throw you away like you are nothing but a little piece of s***, specially in difficult times like this even though they have absolutely nothing to lose by keeping you. [sic]”
She continued: “And I'm not talking about one person here, over 500 people lost their jobs yesterday so all I can say is thank you @gordongram @gordonramsayrestaurants I hope you sleep well at night knowing that so many people doesn't have a job in this difficult time because of you. [sic]”
Ramsay previously posted a statement to Instagram about the deicision to close his restaurants
Releasing a statement to the press, Ramsay’s restaurant group said: “Gordon Ramsay Restaurants is continuing to work tirelessly in exceptional, unprecedented, global circumstances to ensure that as many employees as possible are being retained by the business. We are no different from any other restaurant/retail business large and small in the UK and around the world responding to the current crisis.
"We welcome greatly and fully support all the initiatives introduced by Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak in particular the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme which is still being refined. We continue to work closely with our landlords, government agencies and all third party suppliers associated with the business through these very challenging times."
Fellow chef Rick Stein has also been criticised, after it was revealed that his staff will not be paid any wages until the end of April, just days after he praised them on his social media pages.
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