JD Wetherspoon PLC (LSE:JDW)’s chairman Tim Martin has taken aim at “slow learners” at The Independent after the national newspaper issued an apology for inaccurate statements made about Wetherspoon’s Covid-era staffing policies.
In an article published in December 2023, The Independent wrote: "But he (Mr Martin) has also sparked controversy, including by suggesting his 40,000 staff should go to work at Tesco amid uncertainty over their futures due to the coronavirus pandemic.
"In the early days of Covid-19, Mr Martin indicated the company would not continue to pay employees who were not now working after pubs in the UK were closed to stop the spread of the virus."
But The Independent has since made this correction: "This article was amended on 10 January 2024. It previously said that Mr Martin had suggested his 40,000 staff should go to work at Tesco amid pandemic uncertainty, but this was inaccurate.
“In fact, Mr Martin had said that if staff were offered a job in a supermarket, he would understand if they wanted to take it.
“Wetherspoon has also asked that we clarify that all its staff were paid by Wetherspoon up until the point of pub closures, after which staff received furlough pay on an uninterrupted basis without any delay to payment. We are happy to do so."
In a barbed acknowledgement of the correction, Wetherspoon’s outspoken chairman today stated: "In 2020, the Independent newspaper made a number of false claims about Wetherspoon which it corrected, following representations from Wetherspoon's legal department.
“Unfortunately, apparently unaware of the previous corrections, the Independent repeated the same false allegations in December 2023.
“We are pleased that the Independent has now published a fifth correction. We are glad to be able to help slow learners at the Independent."