Workers at Glasgow bar start weekend walk out over pay and conditions

Staff at the 13 Note bar in Glasgow are walking out in a row over pay and conditions in the first strike action of its kind in over 20 years across the UK.

Members of Unite Hospitality have been rowing with the owner for months about pay and conditions after submitting a grievance back in February.

Liam Toner works as a sound engineer and in the kitchen.

He told Clyde 1: "I feel like I am always dealing with faulty equipment because the sound system regularly doesn't work and we don't have enough mic stands or microphones.

"General neglect of the place means I am apologising to bands and audience members because there are so many things wrong that I need to take responsibility for.

"I struggle to provide a professional service which is really embarrassing."

Last week, the bar's owner agreed to pause a redundancy process before emergency talks with ACAS to try to figure out a way to avoid the dispute.

Liam added: "There have been lots of things we have had to deal with in the kitchen like an oven with broken dials, shelves being made of wood instead of metal and a broken tap.

"I hope this action inspires other people in our industry to do the same because the vast majority of workers in hospitality are not unionised."

Owner of the 13th Note Jacqueline Fennessy has not responded to our most recent request for comment.

However, last week she said: "Although I agreed to put a pause on the redundancy process at the moment, I did empathise in a meeting with union representatives and staff that if the financially precarious position of the business does not improve, I may be left with no choice but to go ahead with job cuts.

"There is absolutely no ‘trade union victimisation or intimidation and I have no say in a union strike going ahead."

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