The call comes as restrictions in the Republic of Ireland are being lifted and the first indoor nightclub event will see 450 people attend in Dublin this evening.
Colin Neill, Chief Executive, Hospitality Ulster said:
“We are frankly in this bizarre situation whereby part of the hospitality industry has been continually closed or severely limited in capacity for over a year and a half and that financial support has now been removed.”
“What does the government expect will happen to the livelihoods and future prospects of the business owners and the staff? This is a critical moment for the many venues across Northern Ireland and it now requires emergency intervention by the Executive.”
“Unlike other sectors, many hospitality businesses have been severely restricted in capacity, and nightclubs have remained totally closed for the longest period. This means that staff were put on, and have become reliant upon, the Furlough scheme and owners have had no chance or opportunity to bring them back to full time work. There is no reserve funding in place for redundancy schemes which reflects the dire situation, so it’s a pretty clear choice – we need to make businesses viable and get the nightclubs open or direct financial aid immediately to owners and their staff.”
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