UVA Salon owner sued by former stylist over ‘career-ending’ wrist injury

A top Melbourne hairdresser has hit back at allegations her Prahran salon is a “toxic” workplace as an ex-employee sues over an injury she claims ended her career.

Celebrity hairdresser Marie Uva has hit back at claims by a former employee she was a bully during a civil court case. Picture: Jason Edwards

A top celebrity hairdresser has hit back at allegations she is an “uncaring bully” who oversaw a “toxic workplace” in her popular Melbourne salon.

Marie Uva, owner of UVA Salon, rubbished claims by a former hair stylist that she failed to provide regular breaks for her staff and enforced a “yes policy” which prevented overworked employees from saying “no”.

The award-winning Prahran salon – favoured by a roll-call of Melbourne identities including Bec Judd, Nadia Bartel and Megan Gale – is being sued for about $250,000 by former principal stylist Keely Alister for pain and suffering related to a debilitating wrist injury she claims ended her “dream career”.

Ms Alister, a rising star in the industry and Ms Uva’s first ever apprentice, claims that after years of repetitive cutting, colouring and styling she began suffering chronic pain in her right wrist between late 2017 and 2020.

Hairdresser Keely Alister is suing her former salon, UVA Prahran, over a wrist injury she says ended her career.

The pain became so bad Ms Alister said she struggled to hold her tools, often dropped brushes and would need to ice her wrist between clients.

Ms Alister was diagnosed with de Quervain tenosynovitis, a right ganglion cyst, neuropathic wrist pain and scarring and was forced to undergo multiple surgeries, court documents allege.

Ms Alister is suing the salon for damages, alleging UVA did not give her adequate rest breaks, required her to complete at least 13 back-to-back appointments per day and failed to respond to her complaints regarding the working conditions she says contributed to her workplace injury.

Ms Alister previously told the Herald Sun: “Given the time and energy I put in contributing to the success of the business, I had expected that my pain would be acknowledged and appropriately supported during my recovery”.

“Sadly that did not turn out to be the case,” she said.

The 25-year-old told a County Court civil trial this week Ms Uva became “hostile” when she reported her wrist injury, testifying her boss had an “intimidating management style” and didn’t respect her boundaries.

But Ms Uva on Wednesday rejected this evidence, saying she treated the young stylist “like family”.

Keely Alister labelled UVA Salon a ‘toxic workplace’ in court.

Marie Uva with Nadia Bartel.

Ms Uva said she presented Ms Alister with many opportunities to grow her career, including assisting her at the Logies, Brownlow and several gala events and photoshoots.

“She was a model employee, my relationship with her was great,” Ms Uva told the court.

“When I got engaged she was one of the first people to ring and congratulate me, I hadn’t even spoken to my mum yet,” she said.

Ms Uva said when Ms Alister approached her in pain and in tears in late 2017 from her wrist injury, the salon director said she did “everything she could” to keep her as part of the team.

The court heard Ms Uva offered Ms Alister a position as salon manager or education leader, but said the stylist only wanted to be hairdresser.

Defence counsel Fiona Ryan SC, for UVA, labelled Ms Alister’s evidence as “unreliable” and “prone to exaggeration” and said while the young stylist was entitled to workers compensation for the injury, she had failed to establish the salon was negligent.

“ (Ms Alister) gave no cogent evidence that prior to her injury she made any complaint to the defendant regarding her duties,” Ms Ryan said.

“Her evidence was coloured by her animus towards Ms Uva,” she said.

Ms Alister’s counsel, John Simpson, in turn said Ms Uva had demonstrated a “complete ignorance” to occupational health and safety and his client’s injury was “hopelessly mismanaged” by the salon.

“She has had her entire aspirational career … completely obliterated by this injury,” Mr Simpson said.

Judge Caitlin English will deliver her judgement at a later date.