Hundreds of pounds have been raised to help workers who were allegedly fired from a popular Glasgow cafe for 'organising'.
Three workers at Saramago Cafe and Bar said they were sacked in the middle of their shifts after organising to increase the number of staff rota'd on in the kitchen and front of house to stop themselves from being overworked.
Following their dismissal, a campaign to have them reinstated by Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) was launched. Over five weeks, a series of protests were held outside the Sauchiehall Street venue but a resolution was still to be reached when landlords at the Centre for Contemporary Arts (CCA) decided to close the cafe with immediate effect.
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We reported how the CCA announced that it has cut ties with the cafe due to the impact the dispute was having on artists, programme partners, and their own staff.
A statement shared by the art venue said they had "worked tirelessly" to reach a positive outcome and "wished the situation could have been resolved differently".
IWW has now accused Saramago of failing to sit down with them - a move that they said could have avoided the complete closure of the venue.
They said: "We had remained hopeful throughout the last five weeks that the owners of Saramago would sit down with us and come to a productive resolution. However, they consistently failed to do so and instead ignored us, refused to talk, and actively misled us, the public, and remaining workers. Had they engaged with our union this outcome could have been avoided.
"We, the unionised workers in Saramago, were targeted for trying to address serious issues related to short-staffing, being over worked and underpaid.
"All decisions were led by us but in our attempts to respectfully resolve this dispute we were met with stonewalling from the bosses at Saramago and their representatives."
They added: "It should be clear to all hospitality bosses and management that this is what happens to businesses that attempt to union bust and ignore the demands of their workers. It should also be clear to all workers that this is the strength we have when we get organised and act in solidarity with one another!
"Whilst we are disappointed not to have our jobs reinstated we are glad to see a resolution to this dispute and appreciate that the CCA have taken the right stance against a union-busting business. We are looking to continue productive communication with the CCA going forward and appreciate the solidarity shown by the CCA workers throughout this dispute.
"There are IWW members still employed by Saramago and we will fight for a proper redundancy package for these members. We continue to stand in solidarity with all workers."
Saramago bosses initially insisted the claims were 'categorically untrue' and threatened to 'damage the viability of the business'. Earlier this month, they said they were 'committed to resolving it in a constructive and respectful manner'.
They ensured customers that they were in discussions with the Advisory Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) but have yet to comment on the announced closure.
A further fundraiser to support the "fired" workers was held on Sunday with £430 raised.
Saramago Cafe has been contacted for comment.
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