STAFF at a Renfrewshire hotel who have gone months without pay because of a furlough fiasco have urged the Prime Minister to step in.

More than 70 workers at the Erskine Bridge Hotel haven’t been paid since it was forced to close its doors 10 weeks ago as part of the coronavirus lockdown.

It’s understood a mistake by the tax authorities means they have been declared ineligible for the UK Government’s furlough scheme, which would have paid 80 per cent of their wages during the Covid-19 crisis.

A simple change in payroll after the hotel changed owners earlier this year took nearly a month to sort – and the result is that Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) now claim staff aren’t eligible for payments, despite the paperwork being submitted weeks before the furlough cut-off date.

Now staff caught in the middle, with no means of income, are appealing for help.

David Hughes, who is the hotel’s maintenance manager, said: “We have had no wages now for two months. We don’t know when we will open up and could go months without pay.

“I am lucky, as I have my partner to support me, but there are couples who both work at the hotel and they have no income at all.

“We are now writing to everyone – Nicola Sturgeon and the Prime Minister Boris Johnson – to get help.”

MGM Muthu took over the hotel in January, with staff expecting their first furlough payment on May 7, only to miss out.

Mr Hughes, 56, said: “We are still technically employed, so we can’t do anything. We are not entitled to anything else.

“When I check my PAYE (pay-as-you-earn) details on the Government Gateway online system, it shows I was on PAYE with the new employer from March 5, which falls in line with the scheme cut-off date of March 19, so I don’t understand what the problem is.”

Neil Irwin, the hotel’s general manager, added: “We have all been left with nothing.

“I think we just need someone with the power to change this to step in. It is a mistake and we just need someone to sort it out.

“We have written to everyone, including the Chancellor, Rishi Sunak.”

Paisley and Renfrewshire North MP Gavin Newlands is demanding “justice” for the hotel workers.

He told The Gazette: “It is completely unacceptable that over 70 staff have been left with no income entirely due to HMRC’s own mistakes.

“My office has attempted numerous times to resolve this issue with HMRC as a matter of urgency, yet I am still waiting for so much as a reply.

“The Job Retention Scheme is meant to support workers through the coronavirus crisis but, yet again, more people are falling through this supposed safety net and being left with no income through absolutely no fault of their own.

“I will not stop pursuing this with the UK Government until every member of staff at the Erskine Bridge receives what they are entitled to, as well as a full apology from HMRC for the stress and anxiety their bungling has caused.”

A Treasury spokesman said those who aren’t eligible for the coronavirus job retention scheme can make use of a number of other measures.

He added: “These include our strengthened welfare safety net, where we’ve given councils an additional £500million to support the most vulnerable in our society and introduced mortgage-payment holidays and tax deferrals.”

Read all the latest from Renfrewshire and beyond

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