Brewdog accused of 'fire and rehire' approach to ex-workers

Brewdog has faced criticism after requesting that staff members reapply for their positions, a move that a union has labelled as a “fire and rehire” tactic. Employees at the Glasgow Merchant City bar received emails from the company’s head of operations, inviting them to apply for various roles within the business. This development comes in the wake of significant changes following Brewdog’s recent financial difficulties.

The union Unite condemned the company’s approach, describing it as a “blatant attempt to strip workers of their rights.” They urged the new ownership to reconsider the strategy, emphasizing the detrimental impact on employees. This situation followed Brewdog entering administration and subsequently being acquired by US-based firm Tilray for £33 million. The administration process resulted in the closure of 38 pubs and the redundancy of 484 staff members.

Steven Hill, Brewdog’s head of operations, informed staff through email that Tilray Brands UK is working to reopen a selection of bars, including locations in Glasgow’s Merchant City and Aberdeen’s Castlegate. Hill also mentioned that the company is in the process of assembling new teams for these venues. However, this has been met with strong opposition from Unite’s national lead on hospitality, Bryan Simpson, who labelled the strategy as “morally reprehensible and, in our view, unlawful.”

Simpson expressed to BBC Scotland News that the union plans to pursue legal action against Brewdog over the issue. He highlighted the unfairness of dismissing workers only to ask them to compete for their previous roles under potentially inferior terms, calling it “an abuse of power.” He made a plea to the new management to stop this process and restore workers’ rights fully. Meanwhile, Brewdog, Tilray, and AlixPartners have yet to provide comments on the matter

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