A GLASGOW brewery has vowed to stop supplying popular pub chain Wetherspoons, after public backlash at the company's initial plans not to pay staff while on temporary leave. 

WEST Brewery, based in Glasgow's iconic Templeton Carpet Factory building in Bridgeton, announced the decision on Twitter, stating: "We’d rather sweep the streets than do business with people like him."

The pub chain came under fire after owner Tim Martin, who is thought to be worth around £400 million, announced that staff would have to expect pay delays for March and during the coronavirus lockdown in April.

READ MORE: Shawlands Wetherspoons vandalised as public hit out over treatment of staff amid COVID-19 lockdown

The company told staff that they would have to wait until they recieved the government grant covering 80% of all staff wages to be paid, with Martin telling staff in a video posted online that they don't know when they'll receive this payment. 

He also told around 40,000 members of staff in a video posted on social media that they could either get a job at Tesco during the temporary lockdown, or wait to be paid: 

"I know that all our trade now has gone to supermarkets. Not only our trade, but the trade from cafés, leisure centres, restaurants etc.

"So we have had lots of calls from supermarkets, Tesco alone want 20,000 people to join them. That's half the amount of people who work in our pubs."

READ MORE: Council suspends car parking at parks to stop unnecessary journeys in lockdown

Now the company has backtracked on plans to allow staff to go with wages for two months, announcing that they would recieve 100% of their wages for March and 80% of wages for April. 

The actions of the company have resulted in public backlash, with pubs being trashed, including Shawlands' Sir John Stirling Maxwell that was graffied with 'Pay up, Tim' and 'Pay Your Workers' last week. 

----------------------------------------------------------------

Shops are closing. Newspaper sales are falling. But we’ve chosen to keep our coverage of the Coronavirus crisis free because it’s so important that the people of Glasgow stay informed during this difficult time.

To help us get through this, we’re asking readers who can afford it to contribute either £3, £5 or £8 a month to the Glasgow Times.If you choose to sign up, we’ll also take away all the adverts – and deliver a digital version of the print paper to your device. Click here to help Save Your Times