A SCOTTISH arts centre has announced its bar is closing amid a bitter union dispute.
Bosses at the Centre for Contemporary Arts (CCA) in Glasgow have announced it will “discontinue” its business relationship with the Saramago Café – saying ongoing protests over the sacking of seven workers had created an “untenable” situation.
The café will close with “immediate effect” the arts centre said on Friday.
The workers had organised through the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) trade union and the Saramago said they had staged an unannounced strike in the bar.
In a statement, the IWW accused Saramago bosses of having repeatedly failed to meet with the union or workers to avert crisis.
Some IWW members were not sacked - the union would not specify their number - and the union said it expected them to receive redundancy payments.
The Saramago’s owner said in a post on social media last month the union was not one with which most of its staff were affiliated or one recognised by the business – but said it was “categorically untrue” any workers had been sacked because of union activity.
Protesters have gathered regularly outside the CCA – home to the Saramago but a separate business – to demand the workers be reinstated.
In a statement released on Friday, the CCA said: “CCA has made the difficult decision to discontinue our relationship with business tenant Saramago Cafe Bar.
“CCA has worked tirelessly over the past five weeks in the hope for productive conversation and a positive outcome that aligns with our organisational priority of fair work. We truly wish the situation could have been resolved differently.
“The impact this situation has had on our artists, programme partners and our own staff has become untenable. It has affected our ability to serve our audiences and fulfil our commitments to our partners.
"We also acknowledge and appreciate the concern expressed by artists and organisations associated with us.
“This dispute has come at a time of significant pressures for cultural organisations, and at this critical juncture, we are prioritising the health of our arts programme and the wellbeing of our staff to ensure that we can continue to provide meaningful cultural experiences for our communities in the future.
“Saramago will close with immediate effect. We recognise the gravity of this decision and are committed to acting in the most accountable and considerate way possible.
"We understand that this decision will affect people's lives and livelihoods, and will ensure that the transition is handled with sensitivity, conducting all necessary due diligence.
“We want to acknowledge the contribution that Saramago has made to CCA, and we thank them for the live music, vibrancy and atmosphere they provided to audiences over the years.
“We ask for your patience and understanding as we begin to work towards a future for the space.”
A statement from the IWW said: "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.
"This situation plainly shows Saramago bosses’ utter disregard for the livelihood and wellbeing of all their workers. Make no mistake, this is the doing of the owners and management of Saramago alone by choosing to act incredibly recklessly rather than engaging with their unionised workers."
It went on: "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."
The Saramago was named and shamed by the UK Government in 2018 for failing to pay minimum wage to its workers.
The firm was approached for comment.
