Scots Pizza Hut Delivery workers accuse franchise owner of 'stealing wages'

Glenshire Brands has been accused of slashing pay, prompting protests and union action against what Unite calls a "systematic attack" on workers' rights.

Pizza Hut Delivery workers across Scotland have accused a franchise owner of "breaking the law" and "stealing wages" while also claiming to have been denied their denied breaks.

Glenshire Brands, which took over 23 Pizza Hut takeaway outlets in Scotland in 2022, has been accused by Unite the Union of conducting a "systematic attack" on the pay and conditions of around 200 workers.

Tensions came to a head on March 10 when the company announced the immediate removal of drivers’ commission - a payment of £1.45 per delivery previously in place for over 15 years. Drivers say this amounted to £70-80 a week, making a significant difference to their income.

Cooks, cleaners, and delivery drivers will stage a protest on Tuesday outside Pizza Hut Delivery on Edinburgh's Leith Walk after submitting a collective grievance in response. The union has called for the Scottish Government to take action against "rogue employers".

Sharon Graham, Unite general secretary, said: "The behaviour of Glenshire Brands across Pizza Hut outlets in Scotland is deplorable and reprehensible. The company has launched a full-on assault on workers' pay and conditions, which will have a serious impact on our members' take-home pay.

"The Pizza Hut workers can be assured of Unite’s complete determination to hold this rogue employer to account."

Workers say the drivers’ commission, which was included in the job adverts when they were hired, was removed without consultation or warning. Unite claims staff could now see their annual wages reduced by thousands of pounds due to the cumulative effect of the changes.

Workers were given the option of continuing employment without the commission or moving to a self-employed contract, earning just £30 for an eight-hour shift - plus £3 per delivery. Drivers say they are now living "paycheque to paycheque", using their own vehicles while not receiving mileage payments and being solely responsible for maintenance costs.

Workers across all 23 stores also claim they have been denied annual leave and rest breaks. At the start of March, the company introduced a new policy requiring all leave requests to be submitted four weeks in advance and prohibiting the carry-over of unused annual leave beyond March 31.

In practice, this meant workers were prevented from taking accrued leave and, in many cases, were not paid for leave they had already requested. Pizza Hut workers also claim they have had on-shift meals and staff discounts removed and have even had wages retroactively docked for rest breaks they never took.

Bryan Simpson, Unite’s lead organiser for hospitality, said: "The way our members have been treated by the Glenshire Group is morally reprehensible and almost certainly illegal. This is a cynical attempt to demolish pay and conditions for some of the lowest-paid workers in the economy - purely to cut labour costs and move towards bogus self-employment.

"Unite will not allow such a dangerous precedent to be set. We will be doing everything in our power to support our members in fighting back - industrially, legally, and politically."

Ahead of the protest, a Glenshire spokesperson told the Record: "We can confirm that we received the two collective grievances on March 23. These grievances will be thoroughly investigated in line with our grievance process.

“Glenshire are absolutely committed to robust employment practices including honouring all annual leave and break entitlement for our almost 800 colleagues.

“Driver Commissions have not been reduced, rather the remuneration model has changed from a ‘per delivery’ amount to a ‘per mile’ basis to better reflect fuel expenses and ensuring insurance costs are covered. Alongside this, we have increased gross pay rates by bringing forward the National Living Wage and Minimum Wage increases by up to £1.20 per hour.

“There are categorically no blanket changes to self-employed contracts taking place. In addition, there have been no changes to break policies or annual leave entitlement.

“We are very much listening to our colleagues, to understand where there are any concerns and how we can swiftly resolve these and have organised internal meetings to hear their concerns."

Pizza Hut UK says it taking th allegations into Glenshire Group seriously. A spokesperson said: "Pizza Hut is deeply committed to ensuring a safe and fair working environment for all employees and as such has strict policies in place that its franchise businesses must adhere to.

"Although Glenshire Group operates as an independent franchisee and is ultimately responsible for its own employment practices, we take these allegations seriously. Glenshire will be actively engaging in the coming days with any concerned employees, and we will continue to investigate this situation.”