Hip hop
Workers at Glasgow bar/venue The 13th Note will go on strike.
The venue is on King Street, located just on the cusp of the Merchant City area. A historic Glasgow landmark, it is situated close to lauded record shop Monorail, and opposite the famed vintage clothing shop Mr Ben.
The bar/venue has been the centre of discussions for some time, and now workers at The 13th Note are planning to take strike action. If it goes ahead, the action will be the first such strike period by bar workers in the UK for 20 years.
The proposed action would begin on July 14th, and last every weekend until August 6th.
Unite general secretary, Sharon Graham said: “Unite’s members at the 13th Note bar in Glasgow are united in taking a stand, in what could be the first bar workers’ strike across the UK in over 20 years. That says a lot about them. But it surely also says a lot about their employer.”
Nick Troy is Unite’s union rep at the 13th Note, and he told STV: “For seventeen weeks, we have been trying to reason with the management at 13th Note.”
“From wages to hygiene, to understaffing and our demands for union recognition, we’re still not being properly listened to. Surely the strength of the strike vote shows it’s time for that to change.”
Staff at the venue say they want to secure “drastic improvements” to health and safety at the venue; Unite Scotland represents 95% of staff at the 13th Note, with the union stating it wants to secure better wages alongside a more secure work environment.
The 13th Note holds a special place in the heart of music fans. A vital part of the Glasgow community, a stellar run in the 90s saw booker Alex Kapranos – later of Franz Ferdinand – throw open the doors, embracing all kinds of oddballs, innovators, and wayward geniuses. As a result, everyone from Mogwai to Arab Strap and the Delgados would play pivotal early shows at the venue.
The space has endured troubled times of late – it was closed last month due to a mouse infestation.
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