CCA staff seek ‘urgent clarity’ as Glasgow venue enters liquidation

Staff at Glasgow’s Centre for Contemporary Arts (CCA) are “seeking urgent clarity on how workers’ rights and wellbeing will be protected” after the venue announced its permanent closure last week.

In a statement on 30 January, the CCA said it had ceased operations and entered liquidation, citing “significant financial pressures”. Its building on 350 Sauchiehall Street is now closed.

A statement from the venue’s board of trustees said: “Over the past eighteen months, CCA has undertaken a structured recovery process to address significant financial challenges.

“Despite the efforts of staff, partners, and the broader community, the organisation was unable to achieve a sustainable financial position. The CCA extends its appreciation to its team, audiences, artists, and collaborators for their longstanding commitment, creativity, and support.”

The embattled venue has had a turbulent few years. The 2018 fire at the neighbouring Glasgow School of Art forced it to close for six months, while the Covid pandemic had a long-term impact on footfall. In 2023 the centre cut ties with its café after staff there claimed they had been fired for striking.

More recently the venue has been the subject of ongoing protests after it declined to join in a boycott of Israeli art and artists. In January this year, a “liberated zone” was set up in the CCA’s public courtyard to raise money for Palestinian charities.

Several directors at the CCA resigned last year and a new chairwoman, Muse Greenwood, stepped down in January, a month after her appointment.

Workers at the venue say they were informed that they were no longer employed “on a day’s notice via an online call”.

In a statement put out by the Unite Hospitality union, staff said they were “devastated” by the decision.

“We have worked tirelessly, under sustained pressure, to sustain the organisation in good faith, and we have never wished for the CCA to close,” the statement said.

“Throughout a prolonged period of uncertainty, staff have continued to work with restraint and dignity, supporting programmes, tenants, and public activity despite prolonged instability, absent leadership, and repeated governance failures. Many have done so without clarity, security, or meaningful support.”

The workers said they were “deeply concerned about how this decision is being handled”.

The statement said: “There is currently significant uncertainty around notice, pay, employment protections, and access to HR or pastoral support. For some colleagues, there are also serious implications for immigration status and visas, placing livelihoods and futures at immediate risk.

“While there will be time for scrutiny and accountability, our priority right now is to support one another and all those affected by this decision, with compassion, fairness, and transparency.

“CCA staff are seeking urgent clarity on how workers’ rights and well-being will be protected during this process.”

Regular funding

The CCA was in receipt of regular funding from the Scottish Government.

Last year the venue was awarded a three-year grant from the arts funding body Creative Scotland’s Regular Funding programme, receiving £832,000 to cover 2025/26.

Creative Scotland also provided funds for a business consultant to work with the organisation on “reviewing the operating model and proposing solutions for future-proofing areas which had become fragile”.

The CCA had been due to receive another £1,283,500 over the next two years to support its programme of creative activity. Creative Scotland has confirmed that no further payments will be made.

The arm’s-length body said in a statement that it had been “informed by the CCA Board that they have taken the difficult decision to place their organisation into administration meaning it will, unfortunately, cease to operate”.

“As CCA is unable to demonstrate its ongoing viability and therefore cannot deliver the activity set out in its Multi-Year Funding agreement, Creative Scotland is not able to make further payments,” said Creative Scotland. “This is in line with our responsibilities as a distributor of public funds.”

Creative Scotland, which owns the building that housed the CCA, said it hoped to reopen the centre as a cultural resource in the near future.

“We understand how unsettling and upsetting this news will be for everyone working at, and with an interest in, the CCA,” said the funding body.

“As owners of the building at 350 Sauchiehall Street, Creative Scotland will explore future options, alongside other partners, with the shared aim of the centre re-opening as a cultural resource as soon as is realistically possible.”

The CCA opened at 350 Sauchiehall Street in 1992, replacing Glasgow’s famous Third Eye Centre.