Hotel workers’ strike considered a historic turning point

WorldPolitics
7 Aug 2025 • 10:53 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

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  • Housekeepers at Radisson Blu Canary Wharf and bar staff from Draughts, a London board games café, are set to strike this week.
  • This marks the first hotel workers' strike in England in 46 years, with the United Voices of the World (UVW) union calling it a “defining moment for the UK labour movement”.
  • Radisson Blu housekeepers, outsourced by WGC, are striking over pay below the London Living Wage, reduced contracted hours, and increased daily room quotas.
  • Draughts bar staff are protesting exploitative conditions, including zero-hour contracts, last-minute shift cancellations, and reduced earnings due to QR code ordering.
  • Workers at both establishments voted unanimously for strike action, demanding improved pay, guaranteed hours, and an end to insecure working conditions.

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