Desperately needed Employment Rights Bill must deliver what it promises
Alice Bowman, an associate in Allan McDougall Solicitors’ employment law team, spoke with The Herald’s Political Editor Andrew Learmonth about the high-profile employment tribunal in which she represented a Glasgow bar manager who was awarded more than £18,000 and why the new Employment Rights Bill is desperately needed, provided it delivers what it promises. The full article, “Lawyer calls for workers’ rights bill”, appeared in The Herald on 20 September 2025.
Alice Bowman acted for Sky Sinclair, who successfully sued More Blacks, More Dogs, More Irish Ltd and its director, Mido Soliman, after being sacked from the Old Toll Bar in Kinning Park. The judge found the dismissal to be both “procedurally and substantively unfair” and designed to deprive her of her rights.
Alice commented: “The Employment Rights Bill promises the day-one right not to be unfairly dismissed. It will be interesting to see if this changes the dynamic within the sector; with employees more confident in challenging unfair practices as they know they have a legal remedy for unfair dismissal.
The end of zero-hours may also impact on the power of the hospitality workforce. At present it is common for staff to have shifts cancelled last minute, or to be sent home early if the premises is quieter than anticipated.
Provided it delivers what it promises, the Employment Rights Bill really could have important and long-lasting consequences.
Often people will not want to go through the emotional toll of having to go to tribunals, speak to a solicitor, tell a solicitor what happened. Get all the documents together, go along to the tribunal, give your evidence, be cross-examined under oath and be told that your evidence is a bunch of lies and have that kind of agency be removed from you in many respects.
Sometimes you get small employers who maybe have less of a cash flow or less of an income and do not see the value in getting proper legal advice, consulting solicitors, and getting their policies and procedures up to date. They think, ‘We can do what we want because that person is not going to challenge us. And if they do, they are not going to be able to get a solicitor. And even if they do and they win the award, we are not going to have enough money to pay it, so let them.’
It can be very, very frustrating. But I would hope that with the bravery of people like Sky, who have come forward and said, ‘What happened to me was unacceptable, I have been unfairly dismissed, I have been harassed at work’, the more media attention we get for these types of cases, hopefully employers will start to change their attitude.”
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