Brexit backer Tim Martin (right) is treating Wetherspoons employees ridiculously shamefully. | Source: Henry Nicholls/Pool Photo via AP
- Tim Martin, the founder of the U.K. pub chain Wetherspoons, is no stranger to controversy
- After spreading Brexit propaganda in the past, he has now left thousands of workers without any pay for weeks.
- Martin deserves to suffer a legal reckoning when this is all over.
U.K. pub chain Wetherspoons has a controversial owner. Back during the Brexit campaign, Tim Martin printed pro-Brexit literature and distributed it to households. That may have been a mild annoyance to anti-Brexit Brits, but it was only the appetizer for the monstrous tactics he’s begun to pull during the coronavirus pandemic.
Wetherspoons CEO Tim Martin Screws His Workers Over
Martin fiercely opposed closing down pubs in response to Covid-19. He claimed shutdowns wouldn’t stop people from catching coronavirus, despite all the evidence to the contrary.
Then he took it a step further, informing 40,000 employees they’re stuck without pay for up to 8 weeks – with zero warning. For those Wetherspoons workers, a difficult situation just turned into a true nightmare.
Source: Twitter
After coronavirus is finally contained, it’s going to feel like we’ve emerged victorious from another world war. And the government should treat it like one, placing heavy scrutiny on the behavior of bad actors during the pandemic.
In a just world, that would leave Tim Martin with a lengthy prison sentence waiting for him. After all, not only did he oppose shutting down restaurants, but his response to the lockdown has left thousands of workers vulnerable to starvation and debt.
Wetherspoons had nearly 132 million GBP in operating income in 2019, and Martin has a net worth of just under 450 million GBP. The company – and its CEO – clearly had the resources to do right by their loyal employees. But instead, they chose to behave like greedy monsters who value profits over human life.
Coronavirus Is Showing Everyone’s True Colors
During the coronavirus pandemic, individuals and companies alike have been revealing their true colors.
Those people who refuse to obey self-isolation guidelines to slow the spread of the virus don’t seem to care about the elderly and vulnerable.
But those companies not taking care of their employees clearly have bad ethics too. More than that, they do not deserve your patronage.
Any company – Wetherspoons included – who abandons its employees during this crisis should be heavily boycotted once life begins to get back to normal.
Either that, or we can just throw Tim Martin and his ilk in the blooming gulag.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of CCN.com.
This article was edited by Josiah Wilmoth.
