First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has “unreservedly condemned” the actions of a Highland hotel which sacked a dozen workers yesterday.
The owners of the Coylumbridge Hotel near Aviemore told workers who live at the hotel complex to leave the premises immediately.
Commenting on the situation at a coronavirus briefing today, Sturgeon said: “I unreservedly condemn the approach taken in the Aviemore case, that is not how we want employers to operate.
“We want to be doing what we can to support employers and businesses but in turn, we need employers to support their workforce too.”
Economy secretary Fiona Hyslop added: “This has been condemned by the rest of the hospitality industry.”
More than a dozen employees were given the letter from hotel manager Mark Johnston also telling them to vacate their accommodation immediately.
Spanish national Alvaro Garcia said he was looking at sleeping in a tent after the hotel let the workers go .
Management blamed the controversial move on the coronavirus outbreak, but it sparked outrage from locals – with one councillor saying it made him “ashamed to be Scottish”.
Hotel chain Macdonald Hotels stepped in to help sacked employees at the Coylumbridge last night.
A spokeswoman for the company said: “The entire hospitality industry is being hit really hard, with temporary closures and lay-offs across the board.
“However, when we heard of the situation at Coylumbridge Hotel, we immediately contacted the management there to offer their employees access to our staff accommodation at the nearby Macdonald Aviemore Resort to ensure they wouldn’t be put out on the street.
“Any workers from Coylumbridge Hotel who require accommodation should get in touch with Macdonald Aviemore Resort and we’ll be pleased to help them.”
