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04.08.2025 / News /

First Hotel Housekeepers’ Walkout in 46 Years

·         First hotel workers strike in England since 1979 to take place on Saturday 9 August 2025 

·         Outsourced hotel housekeepers at the Radisson Blu in Canary Wharf, predominantly migrant women from Nepal, are striking against poverty wages, slashing of hours and drastically increased workload imposed by outsourcing giant WGC.  

·         They will be joined in coordinated action by bar staff from Draughts, London’s popular board games café and restaurant, who are fighting back against precarious zero-hour contracts. 

·         A momentous event in a sector where strike action is rare due to outsourcing, union-busting, and widespread job insecurity.  

On Saturday 9 August, London will witness a defining moment for the UK labour movement as housekeepers at international hotel Radisson Blu, Canary Wharf, walk out in the first hotel workers’ strike in England since 1979. They will be joined by bar staff from London’s trendy Draughts games bar, marking a coordinated strike across two areas of the capital’s hospitality industry. Workers at both workplaces voted 100% in favour of strike action in response to increasingly precarious conditions. 

The Radisson Blu housekeepers — mainly women of Nepali origin who have worked at the hotel for years — are employed by outsourcing giant WGC, recently awarded the cleaning contract by hotel owners Radisson Hotel Group. Since WGC’s takeover, working conditions have sharply deteriorated: contracted hours were slashed from 40 to as few as 16 per week, while daily room quotas nearly doubled from 14 to 24. With the workers earning a meagre wage of just £13/hour, they say these conditions are unsustainable because the drastic reduction in hours have left them unable to make ends meet. They are demanding a return to 40 guaranteed hours per week, as well as the London Living Wage of £13.85 per hour.   

At Draughts Bar, staff are fighting against exploitative, and insecure working conditions. Employed on zero-hour contracts, they report frequent last-minute shift cancellations that leave them without income or any work-life balance. Their earnings have also fallen due to the replacement of table service with QR code ordering, and they feel unsafe working evenings without licensed security on-site. Workers have peacefully delivered their demands in person, only to be met with silence and disregard from management. They are calling for fixed-hour contracts, paid training, a return to table service, and evening on-site security. 

Doris, Deputy head housekeeper for Radisson Blu. and UVW member: 

“I want my team to have their guaranteed hours back, along with a manageable workload and a decent wage. This matters deeply—everything is expensive, and we all have to pay rent and put food on the table. We need the security of knowing we’ll have enough hours tomorrow, so we can live with dignity and care for our families. We’re more than just coworkers—we’re like a family. When my team is struggling, I feel it too. I’ve worked with them for over 10 years, and it hurts to see them sad or stressed. I feel a deep responsibility to support and stand by them. When I was told my hours would be cut from 40 to just 16, I was shocked and devastated. After dedicating 30 years of my life to this work, it felt like everything was being taken away. I didn’t know what to do. But then I found UVW, and it was like a weight was lifted. Their support has been incredible—they truly listened and understood my story. And I know I’m not alone—my whole team feels the same way. It’s hard to even put into words.” 

Rupa, housekeeper for Radisson Blu. and UVW member: 

“I came to the UK in 2009 from Hong Kong for a good life. My family is very proud of me for going on strike because we must fight for our rights. This situation is very unfair. We need our hours back, just like before. It is very difficult to pay for everything now. It’s very hard to manage my mortgage. I can’t pay for it. When the changes happened, I felt very sad. I have worked here over 15 years. I believe we can win this fight.” 

Pearl, bar staff at Draughts and UVW member: 

“I’m disheartened that it has come to a strike. While I was mentally prepared, this whole time I thought that surely, they’ll be reasonable and have an actual conversation with us. Surely, it’s a win-win if they engage just with us meaningfully. I am exasperated by their reactions so far, and I struggle to make sense of all of it. I’m upset that we need to strike, and I feel anxious, but that will not stop me from standing up for myself. We want to be heard, we want to be treated with respect, and we will not cower.” 

Brune, bar staff at Draughts and UVW member:  

“The strike date coming up feels like such a momentous occasion for us. We will not be silenced, hospitality jobs can be made better, and the workers can be treated with respect; now is time for our employer to hear this and stop hiding behind excuses! 

Petros Elia, UVW general secretary said:  

This strike is a historic turning point—hotel housekeepers, alongside bar staff, are taking collective action for the first time in over 46 years. They’re standing up to poverty wages, zero hour contracts, excessive workloads, and the deep-rooted precarity that defines much of the hospitality industry. 

This fight goes beyond pay. It’s a stand against a system that exploits migrant workers, women, and Black and brown workers, those who keep the industry running while being treated as disposable. These workers are breaking the silence to prove that courage and solidarity can overcome even the most precarious conditions. 

Low pay and insecurity aren’t inevitable—they’re political choices. But that system is beginning to crack, and it’s low-paid, migrant, and precarious workers who are leading the charge. 

This strike draws a clear line: no more second-class treatment. These workers will organise, strike, and win. And they’re calling on the wider trade union movement to rise with them—if they can fight, so can everyone. 

“For details of the strike action and interview opportunities, contact the UVW comms team. 

Isabel: 07706 987443 

Cristina: 07548 759340 

E-mail: comms@uvwunion.org.uk    

Notes for editors 

In 1979, chambermaids at the Grosvenor House Hotel on Park Lane took strike action in response to the dismissal and eviction of 30 of their colleagues. The protest stood out as a rare example of hotel staff industrial action in the UK since the end of the Second World War. 

Head to the Justice for Radisson Blu housekeepers campaign page for workers stories and demands >>  
 

United Voices of the World is an anti-racist, member-led, direct action, campaigning trade union and we exist to support and empower the most vulnerable groups of precarious, low-paid and predominantly BAME and migrant workers in the UK. We fight the bosses through direct action on the streets and through the courts and demand that all members receive at least the London Living Wage, full pay, sick pay, dignity, equality and respect. >>

ENDS  

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