Can any hair salon owners help me, please, on behalf of my mobile hairdresser. She left the salon where she had worked for 11 months, about 3 weeks ago, and she has had a letter on Saturday from the salon owner saying he was suing her for breach of contract and that clients have cancelled their appointments. She is a lovely lady and is really freaked out about this. Short history:-

1. Joined the salon 11 months ago as colleague to 2 middle-aged women doing normal quite boring styles. My hairdresser is young and funky and brought in such a lot of young business, she was always flat out.

2. Said to a colleague round about Christmas time that she was thinking of moving on. Colleague then in turn told the salon owner and, yes, after all that time he asked her to sign a contract (?).

3. She has never had proper pay slips, only typed on letter headed paper with no breakdown of her commission earned.

4. Yes, she gave her mobile number to people she got to know on a personal level. Me (I did her a set of nails), another gave her botox (she was a beauty therapist), another microdermabrasion, another lady a nurse 'cos she had a bad knee. Now the owner is saying she has contacted people for business and that a client had told him she was mobile. She actually worked part-time in a new salon and does mostly friends and family. I only want her to do my hair, end of!

5. One of the colleagues was off sick after having an operation, so she said she would stay on until she returned which was 4 weeks. After 2 weeks salon owner had replaced her and said she could go that day!

6. I did try out the new girl but she is absolutely diabolically bad at hair!

I think that the business has rapidly gone down hill since she left. I used to go there before she started and I guarantee there would only be me and maybe one/two other people in on a Saturday. When my hairdresser started the salon was choc-a-bloc.

Can anyone help, please, and give her some sound advice on what she should do next? She is terribly upset and feels that she hasn't done anything wrong.

Thanks in advance and sorry it's so long.

In short, every contract and every job is different so if your friend really needs some sound advice she should take all her particulars down to the Citizens Advice Bureau or a solicitor if she is concerned.

Her problem is an employment problem rather than a hair industry specific problem and she should get advice from professionals in that area.

Hello Retired, here is a link from the hairdressers journal forum ,
the man on this foum anwers lots of legal questions
here is the link perhaps it can help with some answers for your friend x

The Rules Of Employment Law - 13/08/2007 (Hairdressers Journal Interactive - Business)

Thanks, Minky. I'll have a read and pass it on. Babs xx