WORKERS across five Glasgow bars have accused their employers of flouting Covid-19 rules and failing to pay staff correctly.

Eighteen city employees at pubs including The Luchador, Abandon Ship, Mr Lincoln, The Bull and Fly South lodged a collective grievance cataloguing a series of accusations around Covid-19 safety.

Management of the company, MacMerry, "strongly refute" claims and have urged workers to get in touch with any grievances and concerns.

They belong to a chain of pubs owned by MacMerry 300 who also own several venues in Dundee.

READ MORE: New location for Food Warehouse revealed in Glasgow as plans are submitted for Forge

In the grievance document seen by the Glasgow Times, staff claim they were not told about possible close contacts who had tested positive with Covid-19.

They also allege they felt “pressured” to come to work before receiving PCR test results. Staff also claim that they were not able to go home after receiving official NHS test and trace notifications, potentially spreading Covid-19 to members of the public.

It is also claimed that some venues lacked basic supplies such as soap dispensers at staff hand washing areas.

READ MORE: Glasgow's Deanston Bakery owner tells his story

They also claimed that workers did not receive full holiday or sick pay and wages were often paid late.

Unite the Union represent staff at the bars through their hospitality branch. The union’s organiser, Bryan Simpson called for MacMerry to get round the table with them to discuss the allegations. He said: “Our members across MacMerry 300 and Abdon Ship Ltd have had enough of being treated like dirt by the owners of these bars.

“Throughout the pandemic, they’ve had to sustain shocking health and safety breaches, failure to pay wages/holiday pay and systemic bullying. With over 70% of staff now calling for drastic change, we would urge the Directors to get round the table with Unite to negotiate before their reputation is damaged irreparably.”

A spokesperson for MacMerry said that they were "astonished" by the claims, and in a statement said: "Hospitality is a highly regulated industry where staff and customer safety is paramount.

"We first learned of any alleged issues today and are amazed that Unite took first to social media rather than raising any concerns with our management team.

"We would also point out that some of the reported complainers have not worked with us for over two years.

"We utterly refute the claims made and will be consulting with staff immediately to find out why allegations may have been levelled.

"We are of course also willing to discuss any genuine grievances or concerns.”