A Greenwich business has apologised after telling its employees via text message they wouldn’t be paid due to the coronavirus outbreak, in a move slammed as appalling by the union.

Gateway, an employment agency spun-off from the Greenwich Council-owned  and managed GS Plus, sent a text message to its employees last week stating there would be no work going forward as lockdown conditions see demand for their services plummet.

The agency supplies hundreds of workers both within the Labour-stronghold borough of Greenwich and surrounding areas, working across a variety of sectors including catering and cleaning.

According to union Unite, about 100 agency workers on zero-hour contracts – including passenger transport staff who take children of key workers to school – were informed by text they wouldn’t be paid.

Unite regional officer Onay Kasab said Gateway had “behaved appallingly to their workforces at a time of national emergency when we should all be pulling together”.

“What is even worse, they did not even wait to see how they could have benefited from the employment packages that chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced to keep people in jobs, whether they are full-time or self-employed,” Mr Kasab said.

The union said those impacted included employees who had worked regular hours for a number of years, and demanded their immediate reinstatement.

Greenwich Council declined to comment and pointed towards a statement produced by head of Gateway Kim Watson, in which the boss conceded the organisation “should have been more sensitive” in its actions.

“We recognise that this is a difficult time for many and we acknowledge that our communication to staff on this occasion should have been more sensitive,” she said.

“We have since apologised to our agency staff who received the text message and sent a letter explaining that they will be paid the normal arrangements.”

She added Gateway was now considering how the government’s business support package could be used to help employees there.

“A huge thank you to our staff for the highly valued work they undertake on behalf of Gateway. I’d like to reassure all of our agency staff we will be keeping them up to date of any developments – we are currently in discussions with our clients and are exploring the government financial initiative with the view to ensure we support agency staff,” she said.