Unite members at the 13th Note venue in Glasgow have won their protective award claim against their former employer for failing to consult with staff before making them redundant last summer.

The tribunal has ruled that the workers be paid remuneration for 90 days – the maximum protective award available.

The sudden closure of the iconic music venue in July 2023 came just three days after workers took historic strike action, as 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.”

On the day the redundancies were announced, the owner of 13th Note 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 will now be focussing on taking over the 13th Note lease from Glasgow City Council to reopen it as one of the best venues in the city.

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 - 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.”

ENDS

For media enquires ONLY contact senior Unite communications officer Ryan Fletcher on 07849 090215 or 020 3371 2065. 

Email: ryan.fletcher@unitetheunion.org

Unite is Britain and Ireland’s largest union with members working across all sectors of the economy. The general secretary is Sharon Graham.