Union to stage protest against hotel workers’ poor pay
The country’s largest trade union Unite will stage a protest outside a London hotel tomorrow (Thursday) to highlight the fact that the city’s hotel and hospitality businesses pay staff less than the London Living Wage.
London mayor Boris Johnson raised the "living wage" for the capital by 25p to £8.55 an hour late last year, but Unite says that no employers within the city’s hospitality sector pay staff that much.
The wage is not binding on any firm and a total of only 200 employers have backed the London Living Wage, which is £1.10 per hour more than the national "living wage".
Unite will present a submission to the Greater London Authority, titled Hopelessly Addicted to Low Pay, to raise awareness of the poor salaries in the sector on Thursday following its protest outside the Hilton in Tooley Street, southeast London.
In its submission, Unite said: "Many of our members are forced to live on little more than the national minimum wage (currently £6.19p an hour). Many report suffering pay freezes, pay cuts and constant attacks on their terms and conditions of employment."
Unite points out that last month London mayor Boris Johnson’s office welcomed a 4.2% increase in the number of overseas visitors to London during the first quarter of 2013 compared with the same period last year.
It said that without the positive impact of its hotel, restaurant, hospitality and catering members "London would simply not be enjoying the record numbers of return visitors it is currently enjoying".
The union wants the London Living Wage to become the norm within the hospitality sector by 2020.
Regional officer Dave Turnbull said: "We believe that the ‘living wage’ would have a positive impact on the problems of high staff turnover and skill shortages that have plagued the sector for decades. It should not be forgotten that tourism/hospitality is the UK’s fourth biggest industry.
"The adoption of the ‘living wage’ would enhance London’s reputation as a world class tourist destination fit for the 21st century."
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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