Unite, the UK’s hospitality union, has demanded consultations with Premier Inn-owner Whitbread over the proposed redundancies of 3,800 workers.
Unite, which has hundreds of members at Whitbread, has long campaigned against the notoriously anti-union company’s use of low pay, poor contracts and rock bottom working conditions.
Whitbread announced the planned redundancies after reporting pre-tax profits of nearly £300 million for the year to February 2026 – a drop of 19 per cent on the year before.
In May 2024, Whitbread also announced 1,500 redundancies on the same day as celebrating profits of more than £550 million.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Instead of counterproductive and cruel redundancies to boost coffers, Whitbread should concentrate on treating its workers and its customers decently to build sustainable profits.”
Whitbread refuses to recognise trade unions and has long resisted Unite’s efforts to secure better jobs, terms and conditions for its workers.
Unite national officer Colenzo Jarret-Thorpe said: “It is disgraceful that Whitbread employees heard about the job cuts through the media. The company did not even have the decency to let its staff know first.
“Unite will be demanding full consultations with Whitbread on these plans and it will be providing full support to our members impacted by the proposed job cuts.”