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Wikipedia

United Voices of the World

January 30, 2023

United Voices of the World (UVW) is an independent grassroots trade union, established in London in 2014.

UVW
United Voices of the World
Founded6 January 2014;
9 years ago (2014-01-06)[1]
HeadquartersBethnal Green, London
Location
Members
3,510 (2019)[2]
Key people
Petros Elia, co-founder and General Secretary
Websitewww.uvwunion.org.uk

Following a vote held at its 2021 AGM, the post of General Secretary was re-established after three years of non-hierarchical leadership, and voting seats on the Executive Committee were assigned to elected representatives of key sectors of the membership. Uncontested elections for General Secretary in August 2021 resulted in Petros Elia winning by default.

Its members are mainly migrant cleaners and workers in other service or low-wage/outsourced industries. UVW has a strong association with the Latin American community, having been formed amid a protracted effort to secure the London Living Wage for migrant cleaners at the Barbican Centre. This was the subject of a 25-minute documentary, Waging a Living in London (2014).[3]

In 2019, UVW launched Legal Sector Workers United (LSWU), an initiative supported by Michael Mansfield QC.[4] Groups of architects,[5] designers/cultural workers[6] and workers from domestic/sexual violence organisations[7] also organise within the union. In 2020, the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation granted UVW the funds to employ two full-time organisers to unionise the private childcare sector.[8]

UVW's longest-running active campaign is at the Ministry of Justice, where cleaners, security guards and receptionists outsourced to OCS are demanding the London Living Wage plus parity of sick pay and annual leave with civil servants. Their first strike took place in August 2018,[9] and a second was staged in January 2019 in conjunction with PCS union members striking at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.[10] In July 2020, UVW won recognition as trade union for OCS workers at the Ministry following a 70% vote in favour.[11]

In late 2022, the November AGM was postponed while UVW staff participated in an extended redundancy consultation that ended with several staff taking voluntary redundancy. A commitment was made the following month to "commission an independent investigation into the cause and handling of the financial difficulties UVW has faced."[12]

Campaigning style

UVW in early years represented small groups of workers in disputes with global brands such as Sotheby's and Topshop, taking a radical, often experimental approach to organising precarious and migrant workers who felt shunned and under-served by established unions.[13] More recently, UVW has been able to recruit larger numbers of members in workplaces such as hospitals and universities.

Co-founder and current General Secretary Petros Elia has said:

"If you don’t have a good network of motivated workers or supporters ready to take direct action then you won’t defend striking workers. One of the things UVW and IWGB [a sister union] offer workers, besides prospects of winning real gains, is a sense of community ... that is a large part of the reason why workers join and stay."[14]

Campaigns are characterised by noisy and disruptive pickets and protests, embracing diverse groups and social media to attract further support:

In the street, this scaling-up of the protest was facilitated by a strong element of fun. The picket lines were turned into festive moments where participants could dance zumba, make banners with artists, listen to poetry and live music, and take part in salsa-dancing flash mob occupations of the LSE’s directors buildings. Online, the campaign circulated petitions (e.g. against the surprising police presence on campus), and produced Facebook pages, while established bloggers and professional photographers documented every step of the protest. This combination of online and street presence, media attention, and broad-based alliances, contributed in making the cleaners’ struggle impossible to ignore.[15]

The openly confrontational attitude of UVW and IWGB distinguishes them from larger unions:

They also take an uncompromising approach to their demands. Both unions are quick to call strike action, often with short work stoppages of several hundred employees that take place alongside protests designed to generate a social media buzz and exert public pressure on an employer ... "We tell workers that they need to take action, serious action, protracted action until they win," says Mr Elia. "The demands we make are non-negotiable. We want everything we ask for."[16]

Joseph Rowntree Foundation / Guardian documentary

Filmmaker Hazel Falck secured funding for a short documentary about UVW after her pitch won a contest judged by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation at Sheffield Doc/Fest 2019. Contestants were asked to pitch films that would "explore the nature and impact of poverty in the UK, in a way that can ... shift attitudes towards some of the most marginalised people and communities."[17]

Shooting of the film coincided with the duration of UVW's campaign at St. Mary's Hospital, and concluded shortly before Covid-19 lockdown would have prohibited further filming. Released for public viewing on the Guardian website[18] in August 2020, United Voices centres on migrant women leading the St. Mary's effort to organise for strike action.

Picket arrest of Franck Magennis

Franck Magennis, a barrister then working for UVW as Head of Legal, was attending a peaceful picket with striking security guards outside St. George's medical school on the morning of January 13th 2020. A dozen Met police officers presented the crowd with a letter from St. George's requesting that they move the picket, and claimed that the picket was "an illegal nuisance on NHS property". As Magennis questioned that assertion, he was handcuffed and then released minutes later on the condition that he leave the area immediately.[19]

"By the time I showed up, the music had already stopped. I was in the middle of having a conservation with a police officer who was saying that everyone here was committing an offence, which is outrageously broad. I asked the police officer how the offence was made out. If you look at the statute, the offence is committing nuisance ‘without reasonable excuse’. Surely industrial action is a reasonable excuse — and even if you consider that music constitutes a nuisance, which is questionable, it had come to an end. In the middle of this conversation, he just slapped the cuffs on me."[20]

The picket then dispersed, but returned the following morning and proceeded without resistance. In July 2020, a crowdfunder was launched to cover initial costs of legal action against the Met Police.[21] Magennis and UVW claim the arrest was unlawful and an attempt to intimidate a legal picket.[22]

Covid-19 and death of Emanuel Gomes

Emanuel Gomes, a UVW member from Guinea Bissau, died of coronavirus on April 24th 2020, hours after finishing a night shift at the Ministry of Justice.[23] He had been sick for 5 days but continued to clean the deserted offices despite his agency bosses and all civil servants being absent. Emanuel's employer, OCS, had been unresponsive to safety concerns despite informing the cleaners that they were "essential workers" during the pandemic.[24] The 2022 Sue Gray report on the Partygate scandal said that government cleaners and security guards received a “lack of respect and poor treatment”.[25]

St. George's medical school, where UVW has been campaigning with security guards employed by Bidvest Noonan, announced in July 2020 that the guards would be entitled to 3 weeks of full sick pay, and full pay during self-isolation after contraction of coronavirus.[26] Some security guards had previously walked off the job in protest of non-essential duties and visitors at a time when most students and management were self-isolating, and the lack of provision of PPE.[27]

LGBT issues

See also: LGBT rights in the United Kingdom

UVW's sector for workers in organisations/charities supporting victims of GBV (alternatively VAWG) has vocally defended the Rape Crisis Centre for Sussex against an anticipated legal attempt to "claim it is not legitimate or proportionate to welcome trans women into our women-only spaces."[28] The sector has also stated its support of proposed reforms to the Gender Recognition Act that would enable trans people to legally change their gender without medical diagnosis.

United Sex Workers

UVW has been organising strippers and other sex workers since 2018,[29] in collaboration with groups advocating for the decriminalisation of sex work.[30]

In 2020 members of the union established Cybertease (a workers' cooperative) as a direct response to increased dangers workers faced during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns.[31] The union works together with x:talk project and DecrimNow on unionisation and decriminalisation[32] as well as participating in the Sex/Work Strike as part of International Women's Strike on International Women's Day with a range of other groups such as the English Collective of Prostitutes.[33]

Campaigns at hospitals

Members in good standing (legal records)
     UK Certification Officer[2]

St. Mary's NHS Hospital

Cleaners, porters and caterers at St. Mary's (and four other London hospitals managed by Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust) were employed by Sodexo on the minimum wage (£8.21), significantly less than they would earn on corresponding NHS pay bands. They were also denied the sick pay, maternity pay, annual leave and pensions enjoyed by NHS staff.[34]

In the final months of 2019, over 100 Sodexo workers at St. Mary's joined UVW. In total 10 days of strike action took place from late October to late November, then plans to strike in December were cancelled as Tom Orchard, CEO of Imperial NHS Trust, committed to negotiations to be concluded in January 2020. As Sodexo's contract was coming to an end, and with UVW threatening an "all-out" indefinite strike, it was announced at the end of January that over 1,000 Sodexo workers in five hospitals would be in-housed as NHS employees from April 2020.[35]

Great Ormond Street NHS Hospital

In the aftermath of the successful St. Mary's campaign, around 100 predominantly cleaners at GOSH employed by OCS joined UVW demanding to be in-housed as NHS employees. As with the Sodexo workers at St. Mary's Hospital, their contractual terms were significantly inferior to those of equivalent positions in the NHS.

Throughout 2020, the GOSH NHS Trust had refused to meet with the cleaners and UVW prepared to issue a strike ballot in November.[36] UVW had also submitted a 45-page legal claim against outsourcing at GOSH, and threatened to include the Trust in a test case of alleged racial discrimination in breach of the Equality Act 2010. Petros Elia, an organiser of the campaign, wrote: "Most of these workers are Black, Brown, Asian and migrant and are deeply unhappy with a situation which sees them consciously paid less than their White in-house colleagues of a similar grade and denied NHS T&Cs such as full pay sick pay."[37] A Freedom of Information (FoI) request by UVW revealed that GOSH held no records of any Equality Impact Assessment relating to its decision to outsource domestic services, which as part of its Public Sector Equality Duty and considering the clear racial aspect of the decision, it should have been very reasonably expected to undertake.[38]

In December 2020, the GOSH NHS Trust announced that when OCS's services contract ends in mid-2021, some 200 OCS staff at GOSH would be offered NHS contracts.[39] By September 2021, despite improvements in pay, sick pay and pension entitlements, the workers were still lacking the annual leave, maternity/paternity, and redundancy rights afforded to other NHS employees.[40] With 120 cleaners again threatening to go on strike, GOSH pledged full equality in terms and conditions with NHS staff.[41]

In December 2021, GOSH security guards employed by Carlisle Support Services went on strike for 3 days over the lack of sick pay, pension contributions, maternity pay, and other benefits enjoyed by all NHS staff.[42] A six-week strike was planned for February/March 2002,[43] but by mid-February an interim court injunction was preventing loud protests from occurring within 200 metres of the hospital. Jeremy Corbyn, who had attended a pre-injunction rally outside the hospital, demanded that GOSH bosses “stop wasting money on going to court, and negotiate.”[44]

Campaigns at universities and schools

London School of Economics

In late 2016, contested dismissals of cleaners employed by Noonan Services at the London School of Economics (LSE) escalated into a full-scale dispute for equality of rights to match those of LSE's in-house staff. Dozens of cleaners, all of ethnic minorities, faced significant disparities in paid annual leave, sick pay, paternity/maternity pay, and pension contributions when compared to LSE employees.[45] They wore uniforms inscribed with both the name of the university and their employer, but had been instructed by Noonan's management to change out of uniform before using the university's fourth-floor cafeteria. They were subsequently assured by LSE management that the cafeteria was open to all customers, though the cleaners typically brought their own food and drink (and therefore would not be customers). Unlike in-house staff, had no common room or kitchen space to make use of.[46]

Large campus protests and weekly strikes were organised by UVW in the summer of 2017, attracting much student support despite coinciding with the exam period. It was announced in June 2017, after a 10-month campaign, that around 200 outsourced workers at the LSE would be offered in-house contracts.[47]

University of Greenwich

Cafe workers serving the main lobby of Greenwich university joined UVW complaining of low pay, overworking and insufficient sick pay. They were all employees of Baxterstorey, which had been contracted to run the cafeteria. One chef working 80 hours a week had collapsed shortly after a typical day in intense kitchen heat, but returned to work the next morning because he couldn't afford to skip a single shift.[48] All of his colleagues were to become UVW members, and as they announced their campaign, Baxterstorey immediately raised their pay by 50p to £9.75 an hour.

Demanding the full London Living Wage of £10.55 as well as improved sick pay and annual leave, the workers went on strike for four days in October 2019. Protests interrupted the annual graduation ceremony and a top-level university board meeting, calling on students and staff to boycott the cafeteria. With more strikes and protests planned, it was announced in early January 2020 that all outsourced cafe workers, cleaners and security guards at the university would receive the London Living Wage, in addition to the same sick pay and annual leave as equivalent in-house staff.[49]

La Retraite Roman Catholic Girls' School

Cleaners at La Retraite school, employed by Ecocleen, started joining UVW in late 2020. They were assured they could lawfully walk off the job in December, citing concerns with the school's response to Covid-19, which had led to several cleaners falling ill.[50] After 4 weeks they resumed work, but their wages for that period were withheld.[51] They had been promised a wage increase from £8.75 per hour, but with no confirmation about when the higher rate would be paid.[52] Their work was also proposed to be reduced from 46 to 43 weeks of the year, and they were not entitled to sick pay beyond the statutory minimum.[53]

In March 2021, a "40 days and 40 nights" strike commenced and was called off after 2 days as the school conceded to UVW demands, including the backdated Living Wage of £10.85 per hour and sick pay in line with the school's in-house staff.[54]

Ark Globe Academy

The Ark Globe Academy in Southwark, London outsourced its maintenance operations to Ridge Crest Cleaning, who paid the cleaners the minimum wage (£8.72) with no occupational sick pay. Repeated instances of unpaid work led to a spontaneous walkout on June 4th and 5th 2020, after which Ridge Crest paid all outstanding wages. Other demands included the provision of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in the face of Covid-19, and audio was then recorded from a telephone call where Emma Nabola, manager at Ridge Crest, repeatedly implied that PPE and improved pay would be contingent upon the cleaners ceasing their union activities.[55]

Simon Wrenn, managing director at Ridge Crest, announced in a letter dated 16 July that from the beginning of September term, cleaners would be paid the London Living Wage of £10.75 and sick pay in parity with Ark Globe Academy staff. UVW then confirmed plans to file a collective tribunal claim against Ridge Crest for trade union victimisation.[56]

Other notable campaigns

Harrods

Over 450 kitchen and waiting staff at the 16 restaurants and cafes within Harrods were being kept in the dark about the total proceeds of a discretionary 12.5% service charge added to bills. They received only an unspecified percentage of the total, which while not rare in the hospitality industry, was particularly controversial given Harrods' profitability and the wealth of its Qatari owners.[57] It was reported that Harrods management had told staff in a meeting that 50% of the total was retained by the company as revenue, though many believed the true figure to be as high as 75%, which would have resulted in each employee losing out on £5,000 per year.[58][59]

During early January sales in 2017, a contingent organised by UVW including Harrods employees staged a surprise protest and roadblock along the Brompton Road storefront.[60] A large inflatable cube read "Stop Stealing Our Tips" while a red flare was lit, entrances were locked, two arrests were made, and more than two dozen police frustrated the protestors for several hours. Harrods announced on the 20th of January that "an improved tronc system" would be introduced to guarantee that 100% of service charges go to employees.[61]

In 2021, kitchen and waiting staff demanding higher pay were organising as UVW members for strike action ahead of the Christmas shopping season.[62] A substantial raise to at least £11.90 per hour, and at least of £12.50 for chefs, was agreed in early December.[63]

The Daily Mail Group

In 2018, the Northcliffe House offices of the Daily Mail Group (DMG) were being cleaned by migrants from the Caribbean, Africa and Latin America on the minimum wage (£7.50). Mitie, the contractor employing the cleaners, allegedly threatened the cleaners not to strike, and would not confirm whether they had initiated a "redundancy process for its Northcliffe House cleaners as recently as February, off the back of demands from DMG to decrease the cost of the contract". A Change.org petition in support of the cleaners' demand for the London Living Wage attracted over 100,000 signatures. Refusing to voluntarily recognise UVW as the cleaners' trade union, and facing strikes and protests, DMG issued a statement claiming that Mitie had "some time ago" approved pay increases for the cleaners. Mitie confirmed that "our teams working at DMG ... have been informed of a pay increase to at least, and in some cases, beyond the London Living Wage."[64]

The Royal Parks

Around 50 attendants who maintain the seven Royal Parks in central London, mostly from Ghana, Nigeria and Sierra Leone were being paid the minimum wage (£8.21) by their employer, Vinci Facilities. After two strike days in October 2019 and threats of further strikes, the board of Royal Parks agreed to raise wages of Vinci staff to the London Living Wage of £10.75 backdated to 1 November 2019.[65] However, disparities remained in relation to Royal Parks in-house staff's sick pay and entitlements to annual leave, pension, overtime, on-call allowance, redundancy pay and maternity pay.

15 of the attendants have filed a claim of "indirect race discrimination" against Royal Parks at the Central London Employment Tribunal. It will be a test case to "force employers to think more carefully before they operate a two-tier system which disadvantages migrant labour," while also claiming damages, back pay and pension contributions valued at £750,000.[66]

In April 2021, Royal Parks attendants were again balloted for strike action over significant contractual disparities with in-house staff, and unpaid holiday allowances.

Topshop

Susana Benavides, a Latin American cleaner employed by Britannia Services Group to clean Topshop's flagship store on London's Oxford Street, was represented for several years by UVW in her fight for dignified treatment and the London Living Wage. She had suffered depression resulting from an ongoing series of bullying incidents.[67] In May 2016, two hundred protestors were joined by Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell MP in a show of solidarity for Susana, and hundreds of leaflets were placed in the pockets of clothing items.[68] An online petition supporting Susana attracted over 35,000 signatures.[69] She and her colleague Carolina were suspended and then sacked.[70]

A 2019 ruling secured by Cloisters barrister Akua Reindorf in Susana's successful claim against Britannia found it to be clear “beyond any argument” that Susana was dismissed for engaging in legitimate trade union activities.[71]

Sotheby's

Cleaners and porters at Sotheby's New Bond Street auction house were employed by Contract Cleaning and Maintenance (London) Limited (CCML), who conceded several demands after UVW initiated a formal dispute and 24 MPs signed an Early Day Motion condemning a litany of "poor employment practices".[72] Sotheby's then terminated their contract with CCML and brought in Servest, taking UVW's dispute back to square one.

A surprise protest on 1 July 2015 sought to disrupt a major auction night including contemporary art by Andy Warhol and Francis Bacon.[73][74] Four of the workers involved were denied access the following morning, and suspended indefinitely, after CCTV allegedly captured protestors spraying water pistols at clients.[75] Two were later reinstated while the other two were dismissed.[76] Sotheby's Battersea classic car auction in September was disrupted by another UVW protest.[77] In February 2016 it was announced that Sotheby's and Servest had reached an agreement to pay all outsourced workers the London Living Wage and improved sick pay.[78]

Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea

Cleaners working for Kensington and Chelsea council, principally at the town hall, were employed by Amey via a £150m 10-year "Tri-borough" services contract.[79] Amey paid them the minimum wage of £7.83 per hour, and provided no sick pay beyond the statutory minimum, which paid nothing for the first three days of absence, and only a heavily reduced wage thereafter.[80] In May 2018 a group of cleaners represented by UVW demanded the London Living Wage (LLW) of £10.20 per hour, and in August coordinated a joint strike with cleaners at the Ministry of Justice, supported by the then MP for Kensington, Emma Dent-Coad.[81] On the first of three planned strike days, RBKC issued two mixed messages within a few hours, the first apparently committing to bringing the cleaners in-house, and the second merely promising a review of Amey's contract. The striking cleaners burst into a council meeting later that afternoon, securing an agreement from council members to engage with cleaners on the picket line the following morning.

A statement by the council's chief executive Barry Quirk the following day confirmed that "all options" were being considered in order to deliver the cleaners' wage demands, including ending Amey's contract and bringing the cleaners in-house.[82] In September, the council fully committed to paying the LLW as of January 2019, with council leader Elizabeth Campbell further promising to try and secure backdated payment of the LLW from October 2018 onwards.[83]

Orion Waste Management

Peruvian employees at Orion's industrial recycling plant in East London walked off the job in March 2018. They had been sorting construction waste in unsafe and dusty conditions, with insufficient personal protection and a lack of basic facilities.[84] Along with UVW staff and supporters, they confronted the general manager and laid out demands including the London Living Wage, contractual sick pay, slower working, new face masks, soap, toilet paper, a shower room, and a decent supply of gloves, uniforms and hard hats. Many of the requested items were ordered the same day, and the workers were promised full pay until they resumed work, as well as board-level consideration of wage and contractual demands.[85]

100 Wood Street

The 100 Wood Street offices in the City of London, designed by Norman Foster, were cleaned by Latin American migrants employed by Thames Cleaning & Support Services. Demanding a raise to the London Living Wage, and the reinstatement of several colleagues after a cost-cutting restructure in early 2016, a group of cleaners commenced an "indefinite strike" and daily picket. After 52 consecutive days, a record for any strike in the City of London, a confidential agreement was reached that secured the Living Wage and a promise to "resolve other issues".[86]

Ideology and supporters

UVW's early growth has been led by staff and volunteers who have worked or spent time in Latin America and are generally supportive of socialist governments, popular movements and alternative media. In particular, there is a strong influence of anarcho-syndicalist ideas and a drive to make the union more inclusive, democratic and member-led. Over a dozen mostly Labour MPs have actively supported UVW campaigns.

"Externally, UVW operates as part of a growing ecosystem of groups and organisations on the wider autonomous left. Comrades from other independent unions, such as the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain (IWGB) and the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), organisers from the London Renters Union, Women’s Strike and Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC), the various Justice4Cleaners groups in universities and activists from groups such as Class War, as well as a large number of more loosely affiliated activists, regularly turn up to actions."[87]

In 2021, Black Lives Matter UK awarded a grant of £15,000 to UVW.[88] Later in 2021, The Rosa Luxembourg Foundation coordinated the move of its offices, and other left-wing organisations including UVW, to an office block in East London.

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External links

  • Official website

January 30, 2023
united, voices, world, this, article, multiple, issues, please, help, improve, discuss, these, issues, talk, page, learn, when, remove, these, template, messages, this, article, unbalanced, towards, certain, viewpoints, please, improve, article, adding, inform. This article has multiple issues Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page Learn how and when to remove these template messages This article may be unbalanced towards certain viewpoints Please improve the article by adding information on neglected viewpoints or discuss the issue on the talk page July 2020 The lead section of this article may need to be rewritten Use the lead layout guide to ensure the section follows Wikipedia s norms and is inclusive of all essential details July 2020 Learn how and when to remove this template message Learn how and when to remove this template message United Voices of the World UVW is an independent grassroots trade union established in London in 2014 UVWUnited Voices of the WorldFounded6 January 2014 9 years ago 2014 01 06 1 HeadquartersBethnal Green LondonLocationUnited KingdomMembers3 510 2019 2 Key peoplePetros Elia co founder and General SecretaryWebsitewww wbr uvwunion wbr org wbr ukFollowing a vote held at its 2021 AGM the post of General Secretary was re established after three years of non hierarchical leadership and voting seats on the Executive Committee were assigned to elected representatives of key sectors of the membership Uncontested elections for General Secretary in August 2021 resulted in Petros Elia winning by default Its members are mainly migrant cleaners and workers in other service or low wage outsourced industries UVW has a strong association with the Latin American community having been formed amid a protracted effort to secure the London Living Wage for migrant cleaners at the Barbican Centre This was the subject of a 25 minute documentary Waging a Living in London 2014 3 In 2019 UVW launched Legal Sector Workers United LSWU an initiative supported by Michael Mansfield QC 4 Groups of architects 5 designers cultural workers 6 and workers from domestic sexual violence organisations 7 also organise within the union In 2020 the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation granted UVW the funds to employ two full time organisers to unionise the private childcare sector 8 UVW s longest running active campaign is at the Ministry of Justice where cleaners security guards and receptionists outsourced to OCS are demanding the London Living Wage plus parity of sick pay and annual leave with civil servants Their first strike took place in August 2018 9 and a second was staged in January 2019 in conjunction with PCS union members striking at the Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy 10 In July 2020 UVW won recognition as trade union for OCS workers at the Ministry following a 70 vote in favour 11 In late 2022 the November AGM was postponed while UVW staff participated in an extended redundancy consultation that ended with several staff taking voluntary redundancy A commitment was made the following month to commission an independent investigation into the cause and handling of the financial difficulties UVW has faced 12 Contents 1 Campaigning style 2 Joseph Rowntree Foundation Guardian documentary 3 Picket arrest of Franck Magennis 4 Covid 19 and death of Emanuel Gomes 5 LGBT issues 6 United Sex Workers 7 Campaigns at hospitals 7 1 St Mary s NHS Hospital 7 2 Great Ormond Street NHS Hospital 8 Campaigns at universities and schools 8 1 London School of Economics 8 2 University of Greenwich 8 3 La Retraite Roman Catholic Girls School 8 4 Ark Globe Academy 9 Other notable campaigns 9 1 Harrods 9 2 The Daily Mail Group 9 3 The Royal Parks 9 4 Topshop 9 5 Sotheby s 9 6 Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea 9 7 Orion Waste Management 9 8 100 Wood Street 10 Ideology and supporters 11 References 12 External linksCampaigning style EditUVW in early years represented small groups of workers in disputes with global brands such as Sotheby s and Topshop taking a radical often experimental approach to organising precarious and migrant workers who felt shunned and under served by established unions 13 More recently UVW has been able to recruit larger numbers of members in workplaces such as hospitals and universities Co founder and current General Secretary Petros Elia has said If you don t have a good network of motivated workers or supporters ready to take direct action then you won t defend striking workers One of the things UVW and IWGB a sister union offer workers besides prospects of winning real gains is a sense of community that is a large part of the reason why workers join and stay 14 Campaigns are characterised by noisy and disruptive pickets and protests embracing diverse groups and social media to attract further support In the street this scaling up of the protest was facilitated by a strong element of fun The picket lines were turned into festive moments where participants could dance zumba make banners with artists listen to poetry and live music and take part in salsa dancing flash mob occupations of the LSE s directors buildings Online the campaign circulated petitions e g against the surprising police presence on campus and produced Facebook pages while established bloggers and professional photographers documented every step of the protest This combination of online and street presence media attention and broad based alliances contributed in making the cleaners struggle impossible to ignore 15 The openly confrontational attitude of UVW and IWGB distinguishes them from larger unions They also take an uncompromising approach to their demands Both unions are quick to call strike action often with short work stoppages of several hundred employees that take place alongside protests designed to generate a social media buzz and exert public pressure on an employer We tell workers that they need to take action serious action protracted action until they win says Mr Elia The demands we make are non negotiable We want everything we ask for 16 Joseph Rowntree Foundation Guardian documentary EditFilmmaker Hazel Falck secured funding for a short documentary about UVW after her pitch won a contest judged by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation at Sheffield Doc Fest 2019 Contestants were asked to pitch films that would explore the nature and impact of poverty in the UK in a way that can shift attitudes towards some of the most marginalised people and communities 17 Shooting of the film coincided with the duration of UVW s campaign at St Mary s Hospital and concluded shortly before Covid 19 lockdown would have prohibited further filming Released for public viewing on the Guardian website 18 in August 2020 United Voices centres on migrant women leading the St Mary s effort to organise for strike action Picket arrest of Franck Magennis EditFranck Magennis a barrister then working for UVW as Head of Legal was attending a peaceful picket with striking security guards outside St George s medical school on the morning of January 13th 2020 A dozen Met police officers presented the crowd with a letter from St George s requesting that they move the picket and claimed that the picket was an illegal nuisance on NHS property As Magennis questioned that assertion he was handcuffed and then released minutes later on the condition that he leave the area immediately 19 By the time I showed up the music had already stopped I was in the middle of having a conservation with a police officer who was saying that everyone here was committing an offence which is outrageously broad I asked the police officer how the offence was made out If you look at the statute the offence is committing nuisance without reasonable excuse Surely industrial action is a reasonable excuse and even if you consider that music constitutes a nuisance which is questionable it had come to an end In the middle of this conversation he just slapped the cuffs on me 20 The picket then dispersed but returned the following morning and proceeded without resistance In July 2020 a crowdfunder was launched to cover initial costs of legal action against the Met Police 21 Magennis and UVW claim the arrest was unlawful and an attempt to intimidate a legal picket 22 Covid 19 and death of Emanuel Gomes EditEmanuel Gomes a UVW member from Guinea Bissau died of coronavirus on April 24th 2020 hours after finishing a night shift at the Ministry of Justice 23 He had been sick for 5 days but continued to clean the deserted offices despite his agency bosses and all civil servants being absent Emanuel s employer OCS had been unresponsive to safety concerns despite informing the cleaners that they were essential workers during the pandemic 24 The 2022 Sue Gray report on the Partygate scandal said that government cleaners and security guards received a lack of respect and poor treatment 25 St George s medical school where UVW has been campaigning with security guards employed by Bidvest Noonan announced in July 2020 that the guards would be entitled to 3 weeks of full sick pay and full pay during self isolation after contraction of coronavirus 26 Some security guards had previously walked off the job in protest of non essential duties and visitors at a time when most students and management were self isolating and the lack of provision of PPE 27 LGBT issues EditSee also LGBT rights in the United Kingdom UVW s sector for workers in organisations charities supporting victims of GBV alternatively VAWG has vocally defended the Rape Crisis Centre for Sussex against an anticipated legal attempt to claim it is not legitimate or proportionate to welcome trans women into our women only spaces 28 The sector has also stated its support of proposed reforms to the Gender Recognition Act that would enable trans people to legally change their gender without medical diagnosis United Sex Workers EditUVW has been organising strippers and other sex workers since 2018 29 in collaboration with groups advocating for the decriminalisation of sex work 30 In 2020 members of the union established Cybertease a workers cooperative as a direct response to increased dangers workers faced during the COVID 19 pandemic lockdowns 31 The union works together with x talk project and DecrimNow on unionisation and decriminalisation 32 as well as participating in the Sex Work Strike as part of International Women s Strike on International Women s Day with a range of other groups such as the English Collective of Prostitutes 33 Dancers from various sex workers collectives at Leicester Square London 2022 for the Sex Work Strike A speaker from United Sex Workers addresses the crowd at Leicester Square in London for the Sex Work Strike 2022 A speaker from United Sex Workers addresses the crowd at Leicester Square in London for the Sex Work Strike 2022 An activist dances at the Eros statue for the Sex Work Strike for decriminalisationCampaigns at hospitals EditMembers in good standing legal records UK Certification Officer 2 St Mary s NHS Hospital Edit Cleaners porters and caterers at St Mary s and four other London hospitals managed by Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust were employed by Sodexo on the minimum wage 8 21 significantly less than they would earn on corresponding NHS pay bands They were also denied the sick pay maternity pay annual leave and pensions enjoyed by NHS staff 34 In the final months of 2019 over 100 Sodexo workers at St Mary s joined UVW In total 10 days of strike action took place from late October to late November then plans to strike in December were cancelled as Tom Orchard CEO of Imperial NHS Trust committed to negotiations to be concluded in January 2020 As Sodexo s contract was coming to an end and with UVW threatening an all out indefinite strike it was announced at the end of January that over 1 000 Sodexo workers in five hospitals would be in housed as NHS employees from April 2020 35 Great Ormond Street NHS Hospital Edit In the aftermath of the successful St Mary s campaign around 100 predominantly cleaners at GOSH employed by OCS joined UVW demanding to be in housed as NHS employees As with the Sodexo workers at St Mary s Hospital their contractual terms were significantly inferior to those of equivalent positions in the NHS Throughout 2020 the GOSH NHS Trust had refused to meet with the cleaners and UVW prepared to issue a strike ballot in November 36 UVW had also submitted a 45 page legal claim against outsourcing at GOSH and threatened to include the Trust in a test case of alleged racial discrimination in breach of the Equality Act 2010 Petros Elia an organiser of the campaign wrote Most of these workers are Black Brown Asian and migrant and are deeply unhappy with a situation which sees them consciously paid less than their White in house colleagues of a similar grade and denied NHS T amp Cs such as full pay sick pay 37 A Freedom of Information FoI request by UVW revealed that GOSH held no records of any Equality Impact Assessment relating to its decision to outsource domestic services which as part of its Public Sector Equality Duty and considering the clear racial aspect of the decision it should have been very reasonably expected to undertake 38 In December 2020 the GOSH NHS Trust announced that when OCS s services contract ends in mid 2021 some 200 OCS staff at GOSH would be offered NHS contracts 39 By September 2021 despite improvements in pay sick pay and pension entitlements the workers were still lacking the annual leave maternity paternity and redundancy rights afforded to other NHS employees 40 With 120 cleaners again threatening to go on strike GOSH pledged full equality in terms and conditions with NHS staff 41 In December 2021 GOSH security guards employed by Carlisle Support Services went on strike for 3 days over the lack of sick pay pension contributions maternity pay and other benefits enjoyed by all NHS staff 42 A six week strike was planned for February March 2002 43 but by mid February an interim court injunction was preventing loud protests from occurring within 200 metres of the hospital Jeremy Corbyn who had attended a pre injunction rally outside the hospital demanded that GOSH bosses stop wasting money on going to court and negotiate 44 Campaigns at universities and schools EditLondon School of Economics Edit In late 2016 contested dismissals of cleaners employed by Noonan Services at the London School of Economics LSE escalated into a full scale dispute for equality of rights to match those of LSE s in house staff Dozens of cleaners all of ethnic minorities faced significant disparities in paid annual leave sick pay paternity maternity pay and pension contributions when compared to LSE employees 45 They wore uniforms inscribed with both the name of the university and their employer but had been instructed by Noonan s management to change out of uniform before using the university s fourth floor cafeteria They were subsequently assured by LSE management that the cafeteria was open to all customers though the cleaners typically brought their own food and drink and therefore would not be customers Unlike in house staff had no common room or kitchen space to make use of 46 Large campus protests and weekly strikes were organised by UVW in the summer of 2017 attracting much student support despite coinciding with the exam period It was announced in June 2017 after a 10 month campaign that around 200 outsourced workers at the LSE would be offered in house contracts 47 University of Greenwich Edit Cafe workers serving the main lobby of Greenwich university joined UVW complaining of low pay overworking and insufficient sick pay They were all employees of Baxterstorey which had been contracted to run the cafeteria One chef working 80 hours a week had collapsed shortly after a typical day in intense kitchen heat but returned to work the next morning because he couldn t afford to skip a single shift 48 All of his colleagues were to become UVW members and as they announced their campaign Baxterstorey immediately raised their pay by 50p to 9 75 an hour Demanding the full London Living Wage of 10 55 as well as improved sick pay and annual leave the workers went on strike for four days in October 2019 Protests interrupted the annual graduation ceremony and a top level university board meeting calling on students and staff to boycott the cafeteria With more strikes and protests planned it was announced in early January 2020 that all outsourced cafe workers cleaners and security guards at the university would receive the London Living Wage in addition to the same sick pay and annual leave as equivalent in house staff 49 La Retraite Roman Catholic Girls School Edit Cleaners at La Retraite school employed by Ecocleen started joining UVW in late 2020 They were assured they could lawfully walk off the job in December citing concerns with the school s response to Covid 19 which had led to several cleaners falling ill 50 After 4 weeks they resumed work but their wages for that period were withheld 51 They had been promised a wage increase from 8 75 per hour but with no confirmation about when the higher rate would be paid 52 Their work was also proposed to be reduced from 46 to 43 weeks of the year and they were not entitled to sick pay beyond the statutory minimum 53 In March 2021 a 40 days and 40 nights strike commenced and was called off after 2 days as the school conceded to UVW demands including the backdated Living Wage of 10 85 per hour and sick pay in line with the school s in house staff 54 Ark Globe Academy Edit The Ark Globe Academy in Southwark London outsourced its maintenance operations to Ridge Crest Cleaning who paid the cleaners the minimum wage 8 72 with no occupational sick pay Repeated instances of unpaid work led to a spontaneous walkout on June 4th and 5th 2020 after which Ridge Crest paid all outstanding wages Other demands included the provision of Personal Protective Equipment PPE in the face of Covid 19 and audio was then recorded from a telephone call where Emma Nabola manager at Ridge Crest repeatedly implied that PPE and improved pay would be contingent upon the cleaners ceasing their union activities 55 Simon Wrenn managing director at Ridge Crest announced in a letter dated 16 July that from the beginning of September term cleaners would be paid the London Living Wage of 10 75 and sick pay in parity with Ark Globe Academy staff UVW then confirmed plans to file a collective tribunal claim against Ridge Crest for trade union victimisation 56 Other notable campaigns EditHarrods Edit Over 450 kitchen and waiting staff at the 16 restaurants and cafes within Harrods were being kept in the dark about the total proceeds of a discretionary 12 5 service charge added to bills They received only an unspecified percentage of the total which while not rare in the hospitality industry was particularly controversial given Harrods profitability and the wealth of its Qatari owners 57 It was reported that Harrods management had told staff in a meeting that 50 of the total was retained by the company as revenue though many believed the true figure to be as high as 75 which would have resulted in each employee losing out on 5 000 per year 58 59 During early January sales in 2017 a contingent organised by UVW including Harrods employees staged a surprise protest and roadblock along the Brompton Road storefront 60 A large inflatable cube read Stop Stealing Our Tips while a red flare was lit entrances were locked two arrests were made and more than two dozen police frustrated the protestors for several hours Harrods announced on the 20th of January that an improved tronc system would be introduced to guarantee that 100 of service charges go to employees 61 In 2021 kitchen and waiting staff demanding higher pay were organising as UVW members for strike action ahead of the Christmas shopping season 62 A substantial raise to at least 11 90 per hour and at least of 12 50 for chefs was agreed in early December 63 The Daily Mail Group Edit In 2018 the Northcliffe House offices of the Daily Mail Group DMG were being cleaned by migrants from the Caribbean Africa and Latin America on the minimum wage 7 50 Mitie the contractor employing the cleaners allegedly threatened the cleaners not to strike and would not confirm whether they had initiated a redundancy process for its Northcliffe House cleaners as recently as February off the back of demands from DMG to decrease the cost of the contract A Change org petition in support of the cleaners demand for the London Living Wage attracted over 100 000 signatures Refusing to voluntarily recognise UVW as the cleaners trade union and facing strikes and protests DMG issued a statement claiming that Mitie had some time ago approved pay increases for the cleaners Mitie confirmed that our teams working at DMG have been informed of a pay increase to at least and in some cases beyond the London Living Wage 64 The Royal Parks Edit Around 50 attendants who maintain the seven Royal Parks in central London mostly from Ghana Nigeria and Sierra Leone were being paid the minimum wage 8 21 by their employer Vinci Facilities After two strike days in October 2019 and threats of further strikes the board of Royal Parks agreed to raise wages of Vinci staff to the London Living Wage of 10 75 backdated to 1 November 2019 65 However disparities remained in relation to Royal Parks in house staff s sick pay and entitlements to annual leave pension overtime on call allowance redundancy pay and maternity pay 15 of the attendants have filed a claim of indirect race discrimination against Royal Parks at the Central London Employment Tribunal It will be a test case to force employers to think more carefully before they operate a two tier system which disadvantages migrant labour while also claiming damages back pay and pension contributions valued at 750 000 66 In April 2021 Royal Parks attendants were again balloted for strike action over significant contractual disparities with in house staff and unpaid holiday allowances Topshop Edit Susana Benavides a Latin American cleaner employed by Britannia Services Group to clean Topshop s flagship store on London s Oxford Street was represented for several years by UVW in her fight for dignified treatment and the London Living Wage She had suffered depression resulting from an ongoing series of bullying incidents 67 In May 2016 two hundred protestors were joined by Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell MP in a show of solidarity for Susana and hundreds of leaflets were placed in the pockets of clothing items 68 An online petition supporting Susana attracted over 35 000 signatures 69 She and her colleague Carolina were suspended and then sacked 70 A 2019 ruling secured by Cloisters barrister Akua Reindorf in Susana s successful claim against Britannia found it to be clear beyond any argument that Susana was dismissed for engaging in legitimate trade union activities 71 Sotheby s Edit Cleaners and porters at Sotheby s New Bond Street auction house were employed by Contract Cleaning and Maintenance London Limited CCML who conceded several demands after UVW initiated a formal dispute and 24 MPs signed an Early Day Motion condemning a litany of poor employment practices 72 Sotheby s then terminated their contract with CCML and brought in Servest taking UVW s dispute back to square one A surprise protest on 1 July 2015 sought to disrupt a major auction night including contemporary art by Andy Warhol and Francis Bacon 73 74 Four of the workers involved were denied access the following morning and suspended indefinitely after CCTV allegedly captured protestors spraying water pistols at clients 75 Two were later reinstated while the other two were dismissed 76 Sotheby s Battersea classic car auction in September was disrupted by another UVW protest 77 In February 2016 it was announced that Sotheby s and Servest had reached an agreement to pay all outsourced workers the London Living Wage and improved sick pay 78 Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Edit Cleaners working for Kensington and Chelsea council principally at the town hall were employed by Amey via a 150m 10 year Tri borough services contract 79 Amey paid them the minimum wage of 7 83 per hour and provided no sick pay beyond the statutory minimum which paid nothing for the first three days of absence and only a heavily reduced wage thereafter 80 In May 2018 a group of cleaners represented by UVW demanded the London Living Wage LLW of 10 20 per hour and in August coordinated a joint strike with cleaners at the Ministry of Justice supported by the then MP for Kensington Emma Dent Coad 81 On the first of three planned strike days RBKC issued two mixed messages within a few hours the first apparently committing to bringing the cleaners in house and the second merely promising a review of Amey s contract The striking cleaners burst into a council meeting later that afternoon securing an agreement from council members to engage with cleaners on the picket line the following morning A statement by the council s chief executive Barry Quirk the following day confirmed that all options were being considered in order to deliver the cleaners wage demands including ending Amey s contract and bringing the cleaners in house 82 In September the council fully committed to paying the LLW as of January 2019 with council leader Elizabeth Campbell further promising to try and secure backdated payment of the LLW from October 2018 onwards 83 Orion Waste Management Edit Peruvian employees at Orion s industrial recycling plant in East London walked off the job in March 2018 They had been sorting construction waste in unsafe and dusty conditions with insufficient personal protection and a lack of basic facilities 84 Along with UVW staff and supporters they confronted the general manager and laid out demands including the London Living Wage contractual sick pay slower working new face masks soap toilet paper a shower room and a decent supply of gloves uniforms and hard hats Many of the requested items were ordered the same day and the workers were promised full pay until they resumed work as well as board level consideration of wage and contractual demands 85 100 Wood Street Edit The 100 Wood Street offices in the City of London designed by Norman Foster were cleaned by Latin American migrants employed by Thames Cleaning amp Support Services Demanding a raise to the London Living Wage and the reinstatement of several colleagues after a cost cutting restructure in early 2016 a group of cleaners commenced an indefinite strike and daily picket After 52 consecutive days a record for any strike in the City of London a confidential agreement was reached that secured the Living Wage and a promise to resolve other issues 86 Ideology and supporters EditUVW s early growth has been led by staff and volunteers who have worked or spent time in Latin America and are generally supportive of socialist governments popular movements and alternative media In particular there is a strong influence of anarcho syndicalist ideas and a drive to make the union more inclusive democratic and member led Over a dozen mostly Labour MPs have actively supported UVW campaigns Externally UVW operates as part of a growing ecosystem of groups and organisations on the wider autonomous left Comrades from other independent unions such as the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain IWGB and the Industrial Workers of the World IWW organisers from the London Renters Union Women s Strike and Disabled People Against Cuts DPAC the various Justice4Cleaners groups in universities and activists from groups such as Class War as well as a large number of more loosely affiliated activists regularly turn up to actions 87 In 2021 Black Lives Matter UK awarded a grant of 15 000 to UVW 88 Later in 2021 The Rosa Luxembourg Foundation coordinated the move of its offices and other left wing organisations including UVW to an office block in East London References Edit PRESS RELEASE Metropolitan Police to face legal action after unlawfully detaining barrister during lawful strike at St George s University a b United Voices of the World annual returns UK Certification Officer Megaphone Films Completes Waging a Living in London Digital Cinema Report 14 October 2014 Retrieved 24 February 2019 Bowcott Owen 20 April 2019 Barristers solicitors and paralegals urged to join single trade union The Guardian ISSN 0261 3077 Retrieved 3 May 2019 Architecture workers are being exploited during pandemic warns union Dezeen 22 July 2020 Retrieved 27 July 2020 What Does It Mean to Unionize When You re Your Own Boss Eye on Design 22 October 2019 Retrieved 27 July 2020 Our job is to help victims of domestic violence but we still face bullying at work The Independent 7 December 2019 Retrieved 28 July 2020 UVW is hiring two full time organisers United Voices of the World Retrieved 11 September 2020 Cleaners at the Ministry of Justice go on strike for the London living wage Metro 7 August 2018 Retrieved 4 May 2019 correspondent Owen Bowcott Legal affairs 10 January 2019 Ministry of Justice workers to stage two day strike over pay The Guardian ISSN 0261 3077 Retrieved 4 May 2019 Low paid MoJ staff win vital vote for union recognition Morning Star 31 July 2020 Retrieved 4 August 2020 Update on UVW s financial stability us7 campaign archive com Retrieved 25 December 2022 The New Radical Independent Unions Is Small Necessarily Beautiful HuffPost UK 13 November 2017 Retrieved 21 December 2017 Precarious workers are organising trade unions need to catch up New thinking for the British economy 30 October 2017 Retrieved 24 February 2019 ON THE FRONTLINE Confronting Precariousness Outsourcing and Exploitation Lessons from the LSE Cleaners Discover Society 6 December 2017 Retrieved 24 February 2019 The upstart unions taking on the gig economy and outsourcing www ft com Retrieved 28 July 2020 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link Sheffield Doc Fest Sheffield International Documentary Festival sheffdocfest com Retrieved 19 August 2020 Poulton Lindsay Gormley Jess 12 August 2020 United Voices an inspiring story of workers grassroots resistance The Guardian ISSN 0261 3077 Retrieved 19 August 2020 WATCH Barrister arrested at St George s University during security guard strike Wandsworth Times Retrieved 4 August 2020 Gayle Damien 15 January 2020 Union lawyer to sue Met police over false imprisonment The Guardian ISSN 0261 3077 Retrieved 4 August 2020 Trade union official unlawfully arrested launches legal challenge crowdfunder HJA London Lawyers Retrieved 4 August 2020 Statement condemning the arrest of barrister trade unionist and Haldane Executive Committee member Franck Magennis Haldane Society of Socialist Lawyers Retrieved 4 August 2020 Emanuel Gomes died just hours after his cleaning shift Why was he working the Guardian 26 June 2020 Retrieved 31 July 2020 david 6 July 2020 Death at Justice the story of Emanuel Gomes members tortoisemedia com Retrieved 31 July 2020 We have been mistreated cousin of Whitehall cleaner who died speaks out the Guardian 28 May 2022 Retrieved 2 June 2022 Security guards at St George s to receive full sick pay Employee Benefits 24 July 2020 Retrieved 1 August 2020 Lack of PPE leaves security guards at risk from Covid 19 at St George s University South West Londoner 17 April 2020 Retrieved 1 August 2020 Updated statement on anticipated legal action against Survivors Network Survivors Network 4 May 2022 Retrieved 9 June 2022 United Voices of the World 24 March 2019 UVW amp the xtalk project are unionising the sex industry retrieved 3 May 2019 Tsjeng Zing Hall Jake 17 April 2019 Sex Work Is Work And Its Laborers Are Officially Unionizing Broadly Retrieved 3 May 2019 ABOUT CYBERTEASE Retrieved 2 June 2022 United Sex Works Miren Frankie I News Why sex workers are going on strike English Collective of Prostitutes Gayle Damien 30 January 2020 Cleaners win big pay rise as NHS trust drops outsourcing deal The Guardian ISSN 0261 3077 Retrieved 27 July 2020 NHS trust brings workers in house after industrial action www ft com Retrieved 27 July 2020 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link Cleaners Christmas strike looms at hospital for sick kids West End Extra Retrieved 11 December 2020 Public Keep Our NHS 19 November 2020 Cleaners at Great Ormond Street Hospital are ready to strike for equality Keep Our NHS Public Retrieved 11 December 2020 How Great Ormond Street Hospital Workers Beat Outsourcing tribunemag co uk Retrieved 24 December 2020 Union announces historic victory for outsourced cleaners as NHS employs them directly Morning Star 10 December 2020 Retrieved 11 December 2020 Phillips Jacob 17 September 2021 Great Ormond Street cleaners plan strike over maternity leave row MyLondon Retrieved 19 September 2021 Great Ormond Street migrant cleaners ballot for strike action amid allegations of two tier workforce Left Foot Forward Leading the UK s progressive debate 15 September 2021 Retrieved 21 October 2021 Great Ormond Street children s hospital guards to strike in dispute over sick pay the Guardian 25 December 2021 Retrieved 31 December 2021 Determined to win GOSH security guards launch six week strike Counterfire Retrieved 2 June 2022 Trinder Matt 11 February 2022 Injunction against striking GOSH security guards serves as a sneak preview of the Tory s policing Bill Morning Star Retrieved 2 June 2022 Jones Owen 25 May 2017 The courage of the LSE s striking cleaners can give us all hope Owen Jones The Guardian ISSN 0261 3077 Retrieved 25 February 2019 Engenderings editorial team 24 November 2016 Justice for the LSE Cleaners Engenderings Retrieved 25 February 2019 Rebellion at the LSE a cleaning sector inquiry Notes From Below Retrieved 25 February 2019 Elia Petros 24 October 2019 It s time for universities to stop underpaying their outsourced workers Petros Elia the Guardian Retrieved 28 July 2020 Outsourced workers at University of Greenwich receive 23 pay rise Employee Benefits 13 January 2020 Retrieved 28 July 2020 Twomey James 22 February 2021 South London school cleaners prepare to strike for 40 days MyLondon Retrieved 19 March 2021 TWinFM School Cleaners to Strike Against Wage Theft and Racism TWinFM Retrieved 19 March 2021 enquiries thetablet co uk The Tablet w Cleaners at Catholic school to strike over pay The Tablet Retrieved 19 March 2021 Kilraine Lottie 19 March 2021 School cleaners take employers to High Court over low wages South London News Retrieved 19 March 2021 Kilraine Lottie 26 March 2021 School cleaners celebrate historic victory after only two days of planned forty day strike South London News Retrieved 3 April 2021 Cleaning Company Suggests It May Only Provide PPE If Workers Ditch Union www vice com Retrieved 28 July 2020 Cleaners Win Pay Rise and PPE Following VICE News Investigation www vice com Retrieved 28 July 2020 Wood Zoe 2 January 2017 Harrods workers say company keeps up to 75 of restaurant service charge The Guardian ISSN 0261 3077 Retrieved 27 February 2019 Butler Sarah 7 January 2017 Harrods demonstrators block doorways during tips protest at store The Guardian ISSN 0261 3077 Retrieved 27 February 2019 Evans Sophie 7 January 2017 Furious Harrods employees gather outside famous store in dispute over tips mirror Retrieved 27 February 2019 Two arrested in protest over tips for Harrods waiting staff The Independent 8 January 2017 Retrieved 27 February 2019 Wood Zoe 20 January 2017 Harrods stops taking cut of tips in its restaurants after protests The Guardian ISSN 0261 3077 Retrieved 27 February 2019 Harrods restaurant staff strike averted after pay victory the Guardian 7 December 2021 Retrieved 10 December 2021 Harrods hospitality staff call off strike after 25 per cent pay rise inews co uk 8 December 2021 Retrieved 10 December 2021 Clifton Jamie Childs Simon 29 March 2018 The Anti Immigrant Daily Mail Just Had to Give Its Migrant Cleaners a Pay Rise Vice Retrieved 6 May 2019 Walawalkar Aaron 14 December 2019 London s Royal Parks to pay attendants living wage following strikes The Guardian ISSN 0261 3077 Retrieved 27 July 2020 Southworth Phoebe 23 April 2020 Royal Parks embroiled in 750 000 race discrimination legal battle The Telegraph ISSN 0307 1235 Retrieved 27 July 2020 Bata Daisy 12 March 2016 Meet the Topshop Cleaners Fighting for the London Living Wage Vice Retrieved 7 March 2019 John McDonnell joined living wage protest against Sir Philip Green outside Topshop The Independent 15 May 2016 Retrieved 7 March 2019 Meaker Morgan 24 March 2016 Topshop owner worth 4 3bn store cleaners say wages don t cover rent and food The Guardian ISSN 0261 3077 Retrieved 7 March 2019 Why Protests Will Be Staged Outside 17 Topshop Stores Saturday HuffPost UK 13 May 2016 Retrieved 7 March 2019 Topshop cleaner dismissed for campaigning for the London Living Wage Cloisters Retrieved 7 March 2019 DISPUTE INVOLVING CONTRACT CLEANING AND MAINTENANCE LONDON LTD Early Day Motions edm parliament uk Retrieved 7 March 2019 Sotheby s cleaners banned from work after protest asking for better The Independent 2 July 2015 Retrieved 7 March 2019 Smith Dominic 2 July 2015 Warhol s One Dollar Bill fetches 20 9m on record night for Sotheby s The Guardian ISSN 0261 3077 Retrieved 7 March 2019 Dean Jon 3 July 2015 Sotheby s suspends cleaners after water pistols fired at clients during demo mirror Retrieved 7 March 2019 Meet the Sotheby s Four sacked for asking for sick pay www newstatesman com Retrieved 7 March 2019 Reyburn Scott 11 September 2015 Luxury Automobiles on the Firing Line The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved 7 March 2019 Sotheby s 2 cleaners claim victory as low pay dispute with auction house is settled West End Extra archive westendextra com Retrieved 7 March 2019 Amey wins 150m FM deal from London councils www theconstructionindex co uk Retrieved 23 March 2019 We re Not Living Just Surviving Government Cleaners Strike Over Low Pay HuffPost UK 7 August 2018 Retrieved 22 March 2019 TobinTuesday Sam August 7 2018 7 August 2018 We can t allow them to keep abusing workers Morning Star Retrieved 22 March 2019 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint numeric names authors list link Statement on Amey cleaners strike Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea www rbkc gov uk Retrieved 22 March 2019 TobinTuesday Sam September 4 2018 4 September 2018 UVW claim victory after RBKC commits to London living wage for cleaners Morning Star Retrieved 22 March 2019 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint numeric names authors list link King Jon Striking workers urge Canning Town recycling plant boss to meet their demands Newham Recorder Retrieved 10 May 2019 Wildcat at Orion Notes From Below Retrieved 10 May 2019 Cleaners end City of London s longest ever strike after 58 days Evening Standard 5 August 2016 Retrieved 11 May 2019 There is power in a union Retrieved 20 August 2020 Revealed Who Will Get First Black Lives Matter UK Grants After 1m Fundraiser HuffPost UK 17 February 2021 Retrieved 17 February 2021 External links EditOfficial website Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title United Voices of the World amp oldid 1132398631, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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