At It Again - IWGB Move for Strikes At UCL
The IWGB's campaign against London universities has moved from University of London to focus on University College London. The union is balloting hundreds of...
Read Full ArticleGeorge Clooney's exclusive Mayfair Club, where he goes when in London and which is patronised by billionaires and other A-listers, is to be struck by a strike by recently outsourced workers.
The club on Hertford Street (and called 5 Hertford Street) was paying kitchen porters just £9.00 an hour up until June 1 when they were outsourced. Now campaigners fear things will get worse for those who help serve fine dining to the rich and famous.
Going LouLou
The Cleaners and Facilities branch of the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain (IWGB) will be protesting the treatment and pay of the porters at the restaurant on Friday 7 June at 8:00pm. The downstairs nightclub, LouLou’s, has not only played host to Mr Clooney but also renowned 'socialist' Leonardo DiCaprio, as well as Prince William and Princess Eugenie. Membership at the venue comes at a whopping £1,800 per month and a G&T will cost £20.00.
LouLou's will be closed until September but the club will still stay open until 1:30am most nights of the week.
The IWGB will demand that the establishment reverse its decision to outsource the porters (who are mostly migrant workers) and increase their pay to the London Living Wage of £10.55 per hour and offer decent occupational sick pay.
ACT Clean
The union began the campaign on May 25 with a protest to stop the outsourcing planned for 1st June. The porters are now under contract with cleaning company ACT Clean.
The Times has reported that the kitchen staff were actually offered a pay increase of 35 pence an hour to agree to transfer to ACT.
ThisWeekinFM attempted to speak to one kitchen porter at 5 Hertford Street but he, like all the others, had signed a non-disclosure agreements banning speaking to the media.
Henry Chango-Lopez, President of the IWGB, said: “It is unfair that the porters who allow billionaires to wine and dine in luxury and secrecy are left hung out to dry. The porters can see straight through 5 Hertford Street’s bribes and know that outsourcing will only lead to further exploitation. The restaurant needs to give justice to its workers and put them all under the same banner.”
Picture: Membership at 5 Hertford St is £1,800 per month and a G&T costs £20.00. Kitchen porters are paid between £9.00 and £9.35 an hour to work all hours in London's most exclusive district.
Article written by Brian Shillibeer | Published 07 June 2019
The IWGB's campaign against London universities has moved from University of London to focus on University College London. The union is balloting hundreds of...
Read Full ArticleMarch 25 saw the High Court dismiss the idea that the University of London (and others like it) should be considered a 'de facto' joint employer of those working...
Read Full ArticleHundreds of workers took to the streets in London to demonstrate against outsourcing, causing havoc as they marched from venue to venue to join strikers on picket lines...
Read Full ArticleHundreds of workers are being galvanised to march through London on Tuesday February 26 in a first 'national day of action against outsourcing'. The workers,...
Read Full ArticleOutsourced security staff have been striking at University College London this week, in a protest over pay. Over 150 people attended the strike on Monday 14 November,...
Read Full ArticleIf people feel forced to work in hospitals – or any other workplace – while ill, coronavirus will become a national health crisis, claims a union representing...
Read Full ArticleHaving just been awarded contracts with a total value of £1.1 billion, OCS and Engie will be disappointed to learn that strike action could be called before they...
Read Full ArticleIt's going to be strike after strike after strike hitting travellers and workers, club goers and students as FM and rail staff have voted to make it a discontented...
Read Full ArticleA strike planned for August 26 was called off after Bradford Teaching Hospitals agreed with Unison to delay plans to form Bradford Healthcare Facilities Management Ltd...
Read Full ArticleASDA, Heathrow and now Liverpool’s John Lennon airport have all been struck with strike threats as two separate unions encourage low paid manual workers to take...
Read Full Article