Workers left jobless when a Glasgow bar suddenly closed its doors have won a legal claim against their former employer after it was ruled she broke the law when making them redundant.
Staff at the 13th Note say their decision to pursue a claim against the iconic music venue's parent firm has been vindicated after a tribunal ruled they be paid 90 days wages – the maximum protective award available.
The sudden closure of the King Street business in July 2023 came just three days after workers staged a strike, becoming the first group of bar workers to take formal industrial action in Scotland for over two decades.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Unite is pleased the workers at 13th Note have won their tribunal against their former employer after they were made redundant last year with absolutely no consultation.
“The ruling is a complete vindication for the workers who unionised in the face of shocking conditions which saw the venue shut by environmental health. As this case shows, Unite is unrelenting when it comes to defending our members’ interests and holding bad employers to account.”
READ MORE: Workers at 13th Note bar in Glasgow act as 'last resort'
On the day the redundancies were announced, the owner of 13th Note Jaqueline Fennessy was due to meet with Unite reps at the conciliation service ACAS to discuss a positive resolution to the dispute. Instead, 13th Note’s leadership issued a press release to the media confirming the closure of the workplace before informing staff.
With the support of Unite, the workers are now focussing on taking over the 13th Note lease from Glasgow City Council in a bid to reopen.
READ MORE: 13th Note workers thank public for support
Unite lead organiser for the hospitality sector, Bryan Simpson, said: “The successful tribunal claim of 13th Notes workers’ came after they were made redundant without notice, in what was one of the most shocking examples of trade union victimisation Glasgow has seen.
“Let this serve as a warning to unscrupulous hospitality employers everywhere; your workers will win justice and Unite will have their back.”
Nick Troy, lead Unite rep at 13th Note said: “We unionised to win a fairer and safer workplace at 13th Note but our employer did everything it could to stop us, including closing our workplace.
“When it came to sacking us, the company didn’t even have the decency to inform us first, instead issuing a press release to the media before telling the workers that they had lost their jobs.
READ MORE: 13th Note workers blast owners for handling of liquidation
“With justice served, we can now turn our focus to taking the venue back into workers’ hands so that Glasgow has a unionised bar and music venue that pays and treats its workers with respect.”
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