United Voices of the World (UK): Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 17:50, 3 April 2024

The United Voices of the World (UVW) is a trade union based in the UK that mainly organises among immigrant workers, particularly from Latin America. It is notable for being highly successful despite only being around since 2014.

Timeline

2015: Cleaners at a London art gallery stormed an auction and sprayed buyers with water pistols in protest of low wages and a lack of sick pay.^[1]
2016: Office cleaers in London with the UVW went on strike to demand rehiring of fired workers (their friends) and a wage increase. The strike went on for 52 days (the longest strike in Londons history) and the workers' won their demands.^[2]
2016: In response to the bullying and firing of female cleaners in retail for joining the UVW, hundreds of protesters marched in solidarity outside the shop, resulting in her rehiring.^[3]
2017: Hotelworkers in the UVW who were kept in the dark about a 12.5% service charge increase added to bills (reducing the amount of tips gained for workers, leading to workers losing £5,000 per year). A strike and blockade of the hotel by workers (which led to two being arrested) resulted in 100% of service charges going to workers.^[4]
2017: University cleaners who joined the UVW began weekly strikes with supports from students, resulting in the workers getting paid annual leave, sick pay, parental leave pay and greater pensions after 10 months of the strike^[5]
2018: Recycling workers in the UVW in East London struck in March 2018 in response to poor working condition and a lack of basic facilities. They won contractual sick pay, slower working, new face masks, soap, toilet paper, a shower room, and a decent supply of gloves, uniforms and hard hats. There was also a wage increase.^[6]
2018: The UVW joins the International Confederation of Labor as an observer
2018: Conservative newspaper office cleaners in the UVW were being illegally underpaid and threatened with unemployment if they striked. But, they went on strike anyway with sympathy protests outside the offices, leading to a wage increase beyond the living wage for the area.^[7]
2019: Government building cleaners in the UVW went on strike in response to low wages and wage theft. They won all their demands.^[8]

Contact

You can contact the UVW here

References

[1] ttps://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/14/arts/international/luxury-automobiles-on-the-firing-line.html

[2] ttps://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/city-of-londons-longest-ever-strike-comes-ends-after-bosses-agree-to-pay-cleaners-london-living-wage-a3312691.html

[3] ttps://www.cloisters.com/news/cloisters-barrister-represents-topshop-cleaner-dismissed-for-campaigning-for-the-london-living-wage/

[4] ttps://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/jan/20/harrods-tips-restaurants-protests-union-service-charge

[5] ttps://notesfrombelow.org/article/rebellion-lse-cleaning-sector-inquiry

[6] ttps://notesfrombelow.org/article/wildcat-orion

[7] ttps://www.vice.com/en_uk/article/ne9ej7/the-anti-immigrant-daily-mail-just-had-to-give-its-migrant-cleaners-a-pay-rise

[8] ttps://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/uvw-claim-victory-after-rbkc-commits-to-london-living-wage-for-cleaners

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-The '''United Voices of the World '''('''UVW''') is a [[Trade Union|trade union]] based in the [[United Kingdom|UK]] that mainly organises among immigrant workers, particularly from Latin America. It is notable for being highly successful despite only being around since [[Timeline of Libertarian Socialism in Northern Europe|2014]].
+The '''United Voices of the World '''('''UVW''') is a [[Trade Union|trade union]] based in the [[United Kingdom|UK]] that mainly organises among immigrant workers, particularly from Latin America. It is notable for being highly successful despite only being around since [[Timeline of Anarchism in Northern Europe|2014]].
-== Timeline of Victories ==
+== Timeline ==
-* 2017: Cleaners at the [[University|London School of Economics]] began weekly strikes with supports from students, resulting in the workers getting paid annual leave, sick pay, parental leave pay and greater pensions after 10 months of the strike.<ref>https://notesfrombelow.org/article/rebellion-lse-cleaning-sector-inquiry</ref>
+* 2015: Cleaners at a London art gallery stormed an auction and sprayed buyers with water pistols in protest of low wages and a lack of sick pay.<ref>https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/14/arts/international/luxury-automobiles-on-the-firing-line.html</ref>
+* 2016: Office cleaers in London with the UVW went on strike to demand rehiring of fired workers (their friends) and a wage increase. The strike went on for 52 days (the longest strike in Londons history) and the workers' won their demands.<ref>https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/city-of-londons-longest-ever-strike-comes-ends-after-bosses-agree-to-pay-cleaners-london-living-wage-a3312691.html</ref>
+* 2016: In response to the bullying and firing of female cleaners in retail for joining the UVW, hundreds of protesters marched in solidarity outside the shop, resulting in her rehiring.<ref>https://www.cloisters.com/news/cloisters-barrister-represents-topshop-cleaner-dismissed-for-campaigning-for-the-london-living-wage/</ref>
+* 2017: Hotelworkers in the UVW who were kept in the dark about a 12.5% service charge increase added to bills (reducing the amount of tips gained for workers, leading to workers losing £5,000 per year). A strike and blockade of the hotel by workers (which led to two being arrested) resulted in 100% of service charges going to workers.<ref>https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/jan/20/harrods-tips-restaurants-protests-union-service-charge</ref>
+* 2017: [[University]] cleaners who joined the UVW began weekly strikes with supports from students, resulting in the workers getting paid annual leave, sick pay, parental leave pay and greater pensions after 10 months of the strike<ref>https://notesfrombelow.org/article/rebellion-lse-cleaning-sector-inquiry</ref>
+* 2018: Recycling workers in the UVW in East London struck in March 2018 in response to poor working condition and a lack of basic facilities. They won contractual sick pay, slower working, new face masks, soap, toilet<nowiki> </nowiki>paper, a shower room, and a decent supply of gloves, uniforms and hard hats. There was also a wage increase.<ref>https://notesfrombelow.org/article/wildcat-orion</ref>
 * 2018: The UVW joins the [[International Confederation of Labor]] as an observer
+* 2018: Conservative newspaper office cleaners in the UVW were being illegally underpaid and threatened with unemployment if they striked. But, they went on strike anyway with sympathy protests outside the offices, leading to a wage increase beyond the living wage for the area.<ref>https://www.vice.com/en_uk/article/ne9ej7/the-anti-immigrant-daily-mail-just-had-to-give-its-migrant-cleaners-a-pay-rise</ref>
+* 2019: Government building cleaners in the UVW went on strike in response to low wages and wage theft. They won all their demands.<ref>https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/uvw-claim-victory-after-rbkc-commits-to-london-living-wage-for-cleaners</ref>
+== Contact ==
+You can contact the UVW [https://www.uvwunion.org.uk/contact here]
-=== Harrods ===
+== References ==
-Over 450 kitchen and waiting staff at the 16 restaurants and cafes within Harrods
-<nowiki> </nowiki>were being kept in the dark about the total proceeds of a discretionary
-<nowiki> </nowiki>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.<sup>[14]</sup>
- 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.<sup>[15][16]</sup>
-During early January sales in 2017, a contingent organised by UVW
+[[Category:AnarWiki]]
-<nowiki> </nowiki>including Harrods employees staged a surprise protest and roadblock
+[[Category:International Confederation of Labor]]
-along the Brompton Road storefront.<sup>[17]</sup>
+[[Category:Anarcho-Syndicalism]]
- A large inflatable cube read "Stop Stealing Our Tips" while a red flare
+[[Category:Trade Unions]]
-<nowiki> </nowiki>was lit, entrances were locked, two arrests were made, and more than
+[[Category:Anarcho-Syndicalist Groups]]
-two dozen police frustrated the protestors for several hours. Harrods
+[[Category:2014]]
-announced on the 20th of January that "an improved tronc system" would
+[[Category:2015]]
-be introduced to guarantee that 100% of service charges go to employees.<sup>[18]</sup>
+[[Category:2016]]
+[[Category:2017]]
-=== The Daily Mail Group ===
+[[Category:2018]]
-In 2018, the Northcliffe House
+[[Category:2019]]
-<nowiki> </nowiki>offices of the Daily Mail and sister publications were being cleaned by
+[[Category:21st Century]]
-<nowiki> </nowiki>migrants from the Caribbean, Africa and Latin America on £7.50 an hour.
+[[Category:2010s]]
-<nowiki> </nowiki>Mitie, the contractor employing the cleaners, allegedly threatened the
+[[Category:Libertarian Socialism]]
-cleaners not to strike, and would not confirm whether they had initiated
-<nowiki> </nowiki>a "redundancy process for its Northcliffe House cleaners as recently as
-<nowiki> </nowiki>February, off the back of demands from DMG to decrease the cost of the
-contract". UVW created a Change.org petition in support of the cleaners'
-<nowiki> </nowiki>demand for the London Living Wage, attracting 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
-<nowiki> </nowiki>increase to at least, and in some cases, beyond the London Living
-Wage."<sup>[19]</sup>
-=== Topshop ===
-Susana Benavides, a Latin American cleaner employed by Britannia Services Group to clean Topshop's
-<nowiki> </nowiki>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.<sup>[20]</sup>
- 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.<sup>[21]</sup> An online petition supporting Susana attracted over 35,000 signatures.<sup>[22]</sup> She and her colleague Carolina were suspended and then sacked.<sup>[23]</sup>
-A 2019 ruling secured by Cloisters barrister Akua Reindorf in
-Susana's successful claim against Britannia found it to be clear “beyond
-<nowiki> </nowiki>any argument” that Susana was dismissed for engaging in legitimate
-trade union activities.<sup>[24]</sup>
-=== Sotheby's ===
-Cleaners and porters at Sotheby's
-<nowiki> </nowiki>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".<sup>[25]</sup> Sotheby's then terminated their contract with CCML and brought in Servest, taking UVW's dispute back to square one.
-A surprise protest on the 1st of July 2015 sought to disrupt a
-major auction night including contemporary art by Andy Warhol and
-Francis Bacon.<sup>[26][27]</sup>
- Four of the workers involved were denied access the following morning,
-and suspended indefinitely, after CCTV allegedly captured protestors
-spraying water pistols at clients.<sup>[28]</sup> Two were later reinstated while the other two were dismissed.<sup>[29]</sup> Sotheby's Battersea classic car auction in September was disrupted by another UVW protest.<sup>[30]</sup>
- 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.<sup>[31]</sup>
-=== 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.<sup>[32]</sup>
- Amey paid them the minimum wage of £7.83 per hour, and provided no sick
-<nowiki> </nowiki>pay beyond the statutory minimum, which paid nothing for the first
-three days of absence, and only a heavily reduced wage thereafter.<sup>[33]</sup>
- 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 MP for
-<nowiki> </nowiki>Kensington, Emma Dent-Coad.<sup>[34]</sup>
- On the first of three planned strike days, RBKC issued two mixed
-messages within a few hours, the first apparently committing to bringing
-<nowiki> </nowiki>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 next 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.<sup>[35]</sup>
- 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 onwards.<sup>[36]</sup>
-=== Orion Waste Management ===
-Peruvian
-<nowiki> </nowiki>employees at Orion's industrial recycling plant in East London walked
-off the job in March 2018. They sorted construction waste in unsafe and
-dusty conditions, with insufficient personal protection and a lack of
-basic facilities.<sup>[37]</sup>
- Along with UVW staff and supporters, they confronted the general
-manager and laid out their demands, which included: the London Living
-Wage, contractual sick pay, slower working, new face masks, soap, toilet
-<nowiki> </nowiki>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
-striking workers were promised full pay until they resumed work, as well
-<nowiki> </nowiki>as board-level consideration of wage and contractual demands.<sup>[38]</sup>
-=== 100 Wood Street ===
-The 100 Wood Street offices in the City of London, designed by Norman Foster,
-<nowiki> </nowiki>were cleaned by Latin American migrants employed by Thames Cleaning
-& Support Services. Demanding a raise to the London Living Wage, and
-<nowiki> </nowiki>the reinstatement of several colleagues after a heavy cost-cutting
-restructure in early 2016, a group of cleaners commenced an "indefinite
-strike" and daily picket. After 52 days, a record for any strike in the
-City of London, a confidential agreement was reached that apparently
-secured the Living Wage and a promise to "resolve other issues".<sup>[39]</sup>