Staff at a luxury Scots resort were reportedly told to come into work during Storm Eowyn and many ‘struggled’ to get home after a local road was closed. The Unite union alleges workers at the exclusive Cameron House were told they had to work on Friday, January 24, despite a red weather warning being issued by the Met Office.
The union claims staff were eventually allowed to go home but then left ‘stuck’ due to a road being closed near the five-star hotel on the banks of Loch Lomond. Unite Hospitality blamed the ‘inaction of senior management’ on the debacle.
A statement said: “Workers at Cameron House (including SPA STAFF) were told this morning that they were still expected to come to work throughout the worst of the storm. They have now been sent home but workers are struggling because the road has since closed.
“They are now stuck in work – during one of the worst storms in years – all because of the inaction of senior management at one of Scotland’s most prestigious resorts.”
When approached by the Record for a response to Unite’s claims, Cameron House were not willing to comment on the matter.
The Met Office issued a danger to life warning earlier this week due to flying debris from buildings. School, supermarkets and shops closed across Scotland as the country braced itself for the storm.
One man died during the storm in Irvine however cops later said it was believed to be a medical incident. Meanwhile wind gusts of 100mph were recorded at Drumalbin in South Lanarkshire, the strongest gust of the day in the UK according to Met Office.
The rare red weather warning was extended from the central belt to include to the south-west of Scotland, while power outages struck a number of areas. SSEN confirmed late on Friday night 37,000 homes were still without power, having restored services to 60,000 others affected.
Two people died in a fire at Cameron House on December 18, 2017, which started after a night porter dumped a bag of fireplace ash in a cupboard.
In 2023, Sheriff Thomas McCartney told an inquiry changes should be made and highlighted “multiple defects” after the blaze at the Loch Lomond hotel claimed the lives of Richard Dyson and Simon Midgley.
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