Glenshire Group, a Pizza Hut franchisee in Scotland, is facing accusations from its employees. A union representing the drivers alleges "blatant illegality" by the company, including altering timesheets, deducting wages, and ceasing payment of delivery fees. Unite the union has filed a grievance on behalf of the drivers against Glenshire Group, accusing the company of implementing these changes via text message without prior consultation.
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03-25, 2025Cian, a delivery driver, told the BBC that Glenshire Group has shown "complete disregard for staff and customers," and described their behavior as "absolutely appalling." Cian, who has been delivering pizzas in the west of Glasgow for over two years, stated that he had previously been paid the national minimum wage, plus an additional £1.45 delivery fee per order.
However, Cian stated that his terms and conditions of employment were changed without prior notice or consultation. He and several other drivers received a text message two weeks ago informing them that their hourly wage had been increased to £12.21, but that the £1.45 delivery fee per order, which the company referred to as a "discretionary driver commission," had been removed. Cian explained that the £1.45 was used to cover fuel costs and some vehicle running costs, and now he is struggling to make ends meet. Many drivers have resigned because they cannot afford to pay for fuel themselves.
According to a letter from Glenshire Group to its employees dated March 10, which was seen by the BBC, the company stated: "We have removed the discretionary driver commission with effect from today. This change is necessary to ensure the sustainability of our business." The letter did not state whether the company had any plans to ensure the drivers' expenses were covered by Glenshire Group. In a statement to the BBC, the company said, "Driver commission has not been reduced, but the pay model has been changed from 'per order' to 'per mile'."
Bryan Simpson, Unite's hospitality organizer, accused Glenshire Group of "attempting to maliciously dismiss over 100 drivers before employer National Insurance Contributions (NICs), the National Minimum Wage (NMW) and National Living Wage rise on April 1st." Simpson stated that he had never seen such blatant illegality, and that it was the worst situation he had encountered in over a decade, even in industries with poor worker rights. He believes that the removal of the per-order commission for drivers could effectively mean "these workers will be earning below the minimum wage," and that they will lose thousands of pounds per year, effectively constituting a "fire and rehire" scheme in disguise.
The Unite union's grievance, submitted to the BBC, also accuses Glenshire Group of "fraudulently" accessing old employee timesheets to retrospectively add unpaid 20-minute breaks. According to a text message seen by the BBC, Glenshire Group director Zibby Ghafoor informed store managers that "all timesheets from last week have been deleted... please add breaks." Unite the union claims that Glenshire Group illegally deducted wages for these breaks. In response, Glenshire Group stated in a statement that "there has been no change to the break policy."
A manager, who goes by the pseudonym Adam, said that he often works alone in the store for hours and it is impossible to take a break. "You never get an uninterrupted 20 minutes... so not only are we not getting breaks, we're now paying for breaks we're not having." Cian stated that even though he knows it could put him at risk of losing his job, speaking out is his "civic duty." "I'm trying to help people who can't stand up for themselves, because the way Glenshire Group treats everyone is absolutely appalling. The long-term impact of what they're doing is not worth me keeping this job."
Glenshire Group employs over 200 people, including over 100 delivery drivers, but the BBC understands that several drivers have resigned in the past few days. In the letter to employees dated March 10, Glenshire Group stated that it had to "re-evaluate our driver delivery model to maintain the viability of the business" due to the employer National Insurance Contributions and the National Living Wage rising on April 1. The company also stated that drivers could choose to move from employed staff to self-employed. The letter emphasized that this would be a voluntary choice, not mandatory. Glenshire Group stated that there are no wholesale changes to self-employed contracts at this time.
Employment lawyer Joanne Moseley warned that Glenshire Group could be in breach of minimum wage regulations from the date the new National Living Wage comes into force on April 1. "If Glenshire Group is not compensating drivers for expenses incurred as a result of their employment - in this case, their petrol costs - they will be in breach of National Minimum Wage regulations. HMRC will investigate and has the power to impose financial penalties."
Adam has called on senior figures at Pizza Hut to investigate Glenshire Group's franchise practices. "Please be aware of what this company is doing to your brand. Please be aware of what they're doing to their staff to benefit themselves, to save money," he said. A spokesperson for Pizza Hut UK said: "Pizza Hut is committed to ensuring all employees have a safe and fair working environment and therefore has robust policies in place that its franchise businesses must adhere to. While Glenshire Group operates as an independent franchise business and is ultimately responsible for its own employment practices, we take these allegations seriously. Glenshire Group will be actively engaging with any employees concerned over the coming days and we will continue to investigate the matter."
