Dear UBS,

We write without prejudice as a collective group from the catering team here at UBS 5 Broadgate.

We know how hard it is for everyone at this present moment, and none more so here at UBS, the main thing is that everyone is well.

The majority of us have been furloughed for a number of months and this was not what any of us wanted, but at the same time very thankful for this to have happened, this helped us and our families survive the challenging times. We all enjoy working here at UBS and have always given 100%. UBS has been very generous in topping up the remainder of our salaries and for that we are very thankful.

With many of us having worked at UBS for a number of years, and seeing the success along the way we would like to continue the journey but we understand this will not necessarily be possible for everyone.

It’s never a good time for this sort of thing to happen to anyone, but as you have seen, the Catering and Hospitality sector has suffered and been the hardest hit. Looking at the record numbers of redundancies, the lack of available jobs in our industry and the uncertainty around the BREXIT, most of us and our families will be left to survive in a time of pandemic and economic crisis. With the forthcoming festive time of love and hope at the end of the year, this makes it even more sad and depressing for us and our mental wellbeing.

We have tried to talk with BaxterStorey to explain to them that with the new additional furlough scheme that the government has bought in, we would like this to be considered for us, and we are not looking for this to be topped up as it has been in the past. Unfortunately, this did not affect the already started redundancy process in 5 Broadgate across the BaxterStorey employees.

With a couple of virus solutions now in the pipeline, and then the hopeful quick return to a new reality, we would like to see if the current furlough, without top up would be looked at through to March 2021 to give us a bit more time to adapt. With the UK government actively encouraging employers to ‘look after’ their work force we feel that this would be a good way forward, and helping the family atmosphere that we all enjoy at 5 Broadgate.

As a company who wants to create superior value for employees, and wanting to stand out as a winner in your industry for your expertise, advice and execution, with your contribution to society, work environment and business success we would ask that you were to look at our request with our best intentions in mind.

Your Catering Team