Russian President Putin at the Tower in 2003 |
By New
Worker correspondent
For the first time since Henry VII
established the unit in 1485, some of the 37 yeoman warders at the Tower of
London, commonly known as Beefeaters, are facing redundancy because of the
reduction in tourism due to the coronavirus plague.
John Barnes, CEO of Historic Royal Palaces (HRP), which
runs the Tower and five other sites, said: “We simply have no choice but to
reduce our payroll costs.
“We are heartbroken that it has come to this.”
The 37 Beefeaters live inside the Tower’s grounds with
their families, so redundancy means the loss of housing.
The Tower reopened a fortnight ago. Normally 12,000
visitors pass through the Tower but now it can handle less than 1,000 people
each day. HRP depends on visitors for 80 per cent of its income and says the
closure has created a £98 million shortfall.
Two Beefeaters have taken voluntary redundancy, but it is
likely that compulsory redundancies will be enforced. Tourists wanting a
photograph with a Beefeater must now stand two metres apart.
Mark Serwotka, General Secretary of
Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS), which represents many of the
warders, said the decision was a disgrace, adding: “Our members help guard the
Crown Jewels and keep historic royal monuments and premises clean and safe. They
should not be paying for the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.”
At time of going to press, Her Majesty
had not given her views on the matter.
Last month it was revealed that at another HRP property, Kensington
Palace, 75 per cent of the gardeners had been furloughed amidst the coronavirus
crisis, which will doubtless ease the terrible financial burden on the Crown.