[ad_1]
Image copyright
Rex Characteristics
Supporters cheered as the hospitality staff staged their protest
Bar and restaurant workers have dumped piles of leftover ice outside the Scottish Parliament in protest at being forced to close by Covid restrictions.
Demonstrations also took place outside City Chambers in Glasgow after pubs in Scotland’s central belt were ordered to close for 16 days.
The closures are part of the new Scottish government rules to try to suppress the spread of the coronavirus.
About 3.4 million people are currently subject to the strictest restrictions.
They mean licensed locations in Greater Glasgow and Clyde, Lothian, Lanarkshire, Forth Valley, and Ayrshire and Arran are closed until October 25, though they can still serve take out.
Image copyright
PA media
A truck filled with ice was dumped outside the City Chambers in Glasgow.
People wearing masks cheered as dozens of Glasgow hospitality workers took part in the protest outside the City Chambers in George Square on Friday night.
Buckets filled with ice were thrown onto the street before a truck dumped a huge pile onto the road.
Caitlin Lee, a worker at the Blythswood Square Hotel in the city, said the ban on the sale of alcohol had brought uncertainty to the entire hotel industry.
She said: “Obviously, our occupancy inside the hotel is expected to decrease because people cannot leave.”
“Now we are in a position where we don’t know what’s going to happen. Hospitality and everyone in the hospitality industry has already been through the first wave of not being able to work and now we are entering a second wave.
“Are we going to be able to work on Christmas and New Years?”
Bar workers showed their contempt for the new rules
Chloe Fraser, who previously worked in hospitality for 10 years, said the industry was being punished and blaming those who attended illegal house parties for causing the virus to spread.
She said: “It is clear that people are not obeying the law or caring about the big picture.
“Hospitality is having to spend a lot of money putting up the screens, having to do all these additional things that they have been accomplishing in Glasgow. What happens after hours is the problem.
“These independent companies cannot afford these losses. That is why we are seeing this.”
Image copyright
PA media
Hospitality venues are allowed to open in the rest of Scotland, but non-alcoholic beverages and food are only allowed to be served indoors between 06:00 and 18:00.
Licensed venues in these areas may still serve alcohol in outdoor areas, such as beer gardens, until the 10 p.m. curfew introduced in September.
The Scottish government has released details of a £ 40 million support package for companies forced to close due to Covid restrictions.
And UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak has said that employees working for companies forced to close by law due to coronavirus restrictions have the right to be paid by the government for two-thirds of their salaries.
The plan should start on November 1 for six months.
It comes ahead of a UK government update on Monday, which could also lead to pubs and restaurants closed in the worst-hit areas of England.
