13th Note staff in Glasgow blast owner for handling of liquidation

Bosses at the 13th Note revealed on Wednesday morning that it was closing its doors - leaving around 20 members of staff out of work.

Now in an exclusive interview with the Glasgow Times, shocked chef at the venue Nick Troy says he and his colleagues at the King Street bar have been blindsided and are now worried sick about how they will pay their bills.

He said: “We are furious at the way the owner has handled this. We’ve been left to suffer on the breadline, staff have no idea what or if they will receive in wages. 

“We are rallying round to support one another but we all feel totally taken aback by this. We basically woke up to find out that our jobs had gone through reports in the press - it was a complete hammer blow.

“People don’t know how they will pay their rent or bills and we are all deeply disappointed that we weren't properly consulted and sad that this has happened. It’s a very stressful time and we are furious at the lack of respect we’ve been shown.

“The way it was handled was awful. We are determined to fight for what we are entitled to legally. We are considering all of our options.”

Nick Troy, Kay Logan, Brendan Armstrong and Fraser Jack (Image: Newsquest)

A crowdfunding page has now been launched with a target of £5,000 to help support staff stuggling with immediate hardship.

In a statement released on Wednesday morning, 13th Note owner Jacqueline Fennessy claimed that Unite Hospitality had 'sabotaged' the business amid an ongoing dispute with workers over pay and conditions.

The union previously said that industrial action by bar staff - which began earlier this month - was the first of its kind in two decades. It added that staff had only chosen to strike after exhausting all options in their efforts to resolve the long-running dispute of pay, conditions and trade union recognition.

READ MORE: 13th Note in Glasgow's Merchant City to close

Ms Fennessy said: "It is with deep sadness that this morning we have been forced to close the doors of the 13th Note and appoint liquidators.

"Over more than two decades, we’ve played host to thousands of bands, performers, promoters and artists, while playing a significant role in the vibrant cultural scene of Glasgow.

"I’m devastated with the closure of a business I’ve cherished and loved along with the hundreds of loyal customers who frequented the Note, and I would like to thank everyone who has played a role in creating what was a vibrant Glasgow institution. It has been an honour to have been a part of your lives.

She added: "The challenges of running an independent hospitality venue in today’s climate of inflationary pressures and post-lockdown challenges have been well documented. However, it has been the involvement of Unite Hospitality that has caused a drastic reduction in revenue that has forced our closure and the loss of all jobs at the 13th Note.

"To my team, I tried my very best to resolve all the issues we and other hospitality businesses face. Thank you all sincerely for all your work and efforts over the years.

“Unite Hospitality has sabotaged our business with a repeated onslaught on social media and the wider press, with false and misleading stories that have been published. This has led to weekly revenue declining steadily over this period.

“Despite direct talks with Unite Hospitality about the 13th Note being in crisis and all jobs being at risk as recently as July 5, they continued to publish untruths and went ahead with strike action which has fully depleted all available funds in the business.”

READ MORE: 13th Note staff in Glasgow say they have been 'blindsided' by owner

Bryan Simpson, who organises hospitality staff for Unite the Union, has slammed the owner's decision.

He said: "To close a workplace and sack more than 20 workers days after they take historic strike action is trade union intimidation pure and simple.

"To sack them with only a week's wages and less than 30 days notice is unlawful.

"Jacqueline Fennessy made a firm commitment to Unite and her workforce that she would postpone any redundancies until we'd at least had a chance to meet via ACAS to resolve the issue, a meeting that she called for.

"This employer didn't even have the decency to tell some of her workers that they were being made redundant before she briefed the press with a smear campaign aimed at discrediting the very people who have made her profits over the years.

"The workers of 13th Note made this venue and will do everything we can to ensure that it continues."

To support 13th Note staff click here