Normanby Hotel workers are distressed and angry over sudden closure of the hotel

Normanby Hotel casual staff are distressed, angry and out of work after being told the venue will close for a number of months for a renovation. But what’s really made their blood boil is how they were informed after being constantly told it would remain open.

Normanby Hotel casual staff are distressed and angry that they found out they had lost their jobs via the media after claiming they had been constantly told the pub would remain open.

The iconic hotel will close on Sunday for several months while it is refurbished after it changed hands.

Normanby Hotel’s Sunday session legend Tuffy says it’s the end of an era

Normanby Hotel on the market

Last drinks for the Normanby Hotel this Sunday

Key staff had been informed of the impending closure but casual employees were not informed.

The hotel had been on the market for more than 12 months and former staff members told The Courier-Mail that rumours had been circulating for weeks the pub had been sold.

Normanby Hotel patrons Miranda Fram from Brisbane QLD faces off against Natalie Ridley from Grafton NSW to celebrate game one in the State of Origin in 2016. Pic: Marc Robertson

No employees would talk to The Courier-Mail for fear of not being able to complete their last few shifts.

However, there was no shortage of ex-staff willing to speak up on behalf of their former workmates who they stay in touch with via a Facebook group.

“Staff were warned via work gossip last month about potential buyers closing the venue and they started to look out for themselves and search for other jobs,” said one worker who resigned last month.

“Management had told us it was all lies that the Normanby would not be closing down, that only the function rooms would close so we could all still work during renovations.

“Some staff decided to believe management and not go searching for another source of income, some staff left.

“No one knew about the closing and loss of jobs until yesterday when they were sent a link to the Courier-Mail article via a Facebook group.”

Normanby Hotel will close after last drinks on Sunday to be refurbished by the new licensees. Pic: The Courier-Mail

Another ex-staff member said they recently resigned after constantly seeing nameless people wandering through and examining the venue.

They said job security was paramount and for those that stayed on, they believed that in the event of a sale the pub would remain open.

“I left because there was so much uncertainty,” the former bar staff said.

“There were people coming through and you could tell there was a changeover happening and there was no information from the previous owners.

“A lot of people rely on it for the sole income and they are distressed. They could have been looking for work.”

Alfie (Allan Langer) at the Normanby Hotel during a Sunday session at the Normanby Hotel in 2010. The Sunday sessions were legendary and the place to be between 2005 and 2012.

Hospitality union United Voice said it was a “matter of courtesy” that an employer inform casual staff that a business was closing.

“You would expect an employer would tell a casual employee that the business is closing but casual employees are not entitled to notice of termination or redundancy payments so there’s no obligation as such to inform them,” the United Voice representative said.

“They may be entitled to long service leave payments depending on length of service.”

The Pelathon Management Group, which also own Grand Central Hotel have entered a two-year lease with the option to buy the freehold after three years.

Pelathon Management Group spokesman Jazz Mooney said it took four months to negotiate the deal and they were looking forward to giving it a facelift.

“It’s iconic pub and one of the biggest in Brisbane and we think it just needs some love and attention,” Mr Mooney said.

Plethora Management Group spokesman Jaz Mooney (right) said the Normanby was iconic and only needed some TLC to bring it up to scratch to make it a great venue again. Pic John Gass.

One staff member told The Courier-Mail that they hoped to be employed by the new owners.

Built in 1889, the Normanby,at the Normanby Fiveways, Red Hill and had an original asking price of about $18 million.

The hotel will serve its last beverages on Sunday before the venue shuts for several months to be given an overdue facelift.

Sunday sessions at the venue were legendary during the 2000s, following a major revamp, and it was a regular haunt of many a professional footballer from AFL to NRL as well as cricketers and soccer stars.

The hotel is owned by Otto Wilhelm and software mogul Michael Dempsey.

Mr Willhelm was contacted for comment.