Peter Morrison threatens five architects

RMJM chief executive Peter Morrison said he wanted seven staff “systematically removed” from the business after he was forced to pay their missing wages.

Morrison sent the email on April 19 to group human resources director Stephanie Thomas. He was referring to seven staff in Dubai including five architects, an art director and an administrator who were owed a total of just over $36,000.

They had stayed away from work after making a complaint to the Ministry of Labour about their missing cash, but Thomas said they were “absolutely required for the current projects” and needed paying immediately.

“I have listed the following VERY urgent cases, these people are very important to the projects we currently have,” Thomas wrote. “I will need to speak to them within the next hour and convince them to accept the deal (as opposed to complain for unfair dismissal) and therefore wait for immediate approval and transfer of money.”

A few hours later, Morrison replied: “Pay them if it is only 36k to get them back to work but I want them systematically removed.”

Also included in the conversation was Morrison’s brother in law Richard Bailes, the firm’s commercial director in the US and Declan Thompson, the group commercial director.

Morrison’s email contrasts sharply with the note of contrition he struck at the end of March in an email to all group staff regarding late payment of salaries in the first three months of the year.

Announcing that March payments would be made in the next few days with 60% of January and February salaries also due to be paid at the same time, Morrison wrote: “This will bring to an end a difficult chapter in RMJM’s long and proud history which will have left many scars and for that I am very sorry. I am personally extremely grateful for the patience and forbearance which everyone has shown in recent months.”

Rachel Jane Seymour, consultant at HR Solutions, said requesting the systematic removal of staff “pre-empts the intention to dismiss employees on unfair grounds”.

RMJM declined to comment.