The message was posted to an internal staff group on Facebook and offers further insight into working conditions at the firm, who have been described as a “notoriously bad employer” by the STUC’s Better Than Zero campaign. G1 have cultivated a reputation for being fiercely profit oriented, with the “values” page on their website upfront in stating that “Creating profit and growth is central to what we do. We shouldn’t shy away from this. All decisions must be made with commercial principles in mind.”

Despite their habit for negative media attention and constrained consumer spending in recent years, G1 have recorded consistent year-on-year increases in turnover and profit. The 2013-14 financial year saw business turnover of over £60m, with profits of some £11.2m.

Now A Thousand Flowers can reveal the startling depths which G1 are alleged to go to in a desperate bid to boost their profit margins. G1 own around 45  pubs, nightclubs, restaurants and venues across Scotland, with their lavish head office occupying the former BBC Scotland studios in Glasgow’s west end. It’s understood that the HQ maintains a close watch on individual venues, with monthly visits from auditors and a box-ticking grading system used that has a heavy focus on profitability.

The protest that sent G1 into a tailspin: protesters take over Ashton Lane in August

We’ve also received a series of allegations relating to the Underground nightclub in Dundee, with claims that bar staff are encouraged to cut corners – in various ways – in a bid to save money. For legal reasons, we can’t repeat all of these claims. However, we’ve been told that cleaning equipment is unfit for purpose, to the extent that staff at the club tell each other to “use a straw” when on nights out there, adding an interesting twist to the venue’s promise of “dirt cheap drinks”. We understand the ice machine is best avoided.