NEWS - The Speakeasy not expected to open this academic year, QUB reveals
Queen’s University has admitted that it does not expect to re-open the QUB Students’ Union Bar before June 2021.
The University has made this admission twice in the last few days in response to an ongoing dispute with students’ union workers.
These zero hours workers were removed from the Government Furlough Scheme by QUB in July and haven’t been payed by the University since.
This is despite the ongoing Job Retention Scheme (JRS) which will remain in place until March 2021. This scheme covers 80% of furloughed employees’ wages. The employer is only required to pay National Insurance and Pension Contributions, if applicable.
Over 30 of these students’ union workers have joined the Unite trade union. Earlier this month, Unite issued the university with four demands; to reinstate all casual workers onto the JRS, to backdate payments to July, to find alternative work for all available workers and to offer a full apology.
On Tuesday, The Scoop spoke to affected students’ union workers about their demands and the challenges they have faced after being removed from furlough.
The University responded to these demands on Thursday in a letter seen by The Scoop which has described by Unite as ‘amongst the most callous received from any employer during this pandemic’. QUB refused all four of the union’s demand and also admitted that ‘the Speakeasy will (most likely) not re-open during this academic year’.
QUB further emphasised this position in a statement to the Belfast Telegraph on Saturday, saying that ‘The Speakeasy is not now expected to open during this academic year’.
This is despite current restrictions permitting hospitality to re-open after the 11th of December.
Regarding the demands of the student union workers to be placed on the JRS, the University went on to say that because there is ‘no reasonable expectation of the Speakeasy reopening and no commitment to provide casual hours of work this academic year, unfortunately, these staff are no longer eligible for the JRS.’
However, The Scoop can find no reference to these eligibility criteria in any documentation on the Job Retention Scheme.
QUB has been approached for comment.
Thomas Copeland, Head of News.