Bar workers win compensation over ‘shock’ redundancies

Unite the Union members from the 13th Note venue in Glasgow have won their tribunal over ‘shock’ redundancies last year.

The Scottish bar, restaurant, café and venue suddenly closed in July 2023, three days after workers took strike action. They were the first bar workers to take formal industrial action in Scotland for more than 20 years.

Following the tribunal, Unite members won their protective award claim against their former employer, as staff were not consulted before being made redundant in 2023.

The judge ruled the workers will be paid 90 days worth of wages, which is the highest protective award that can be given.

Sharon Graham, Unite general secretary, 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.

“This 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.”

Unite plans to support the workers to take over the 13th Note lease from Glasgow City Council, and reopen the venue.

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 – issuing a press release to the media before telling the workers that they had lost their jobs.

“With justice served, we can now turn our focus onto 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.”

Bryan Simpson, Unite lead organiser for the hospitality sector, added: “Let this serve as a warning to unscrupulous hospitality employers everywhere; your workers will win justice and Unite will have their back.”

In December last year, data showed pubs and bars in Scotland were closing at twice the rate as those in England.