Victory (2018)
Renowned for its racist and xenophobic headlines, the Daily Mail’s contempt for migrants also extended to the cleaners in its own offices who were outsourced onto poverty wages of £7.50 an hour. But when the cleaners fought back the story took a turn that this Murdoch owned paper wasn’t expecting!
Victory (2017)
In a David vs Goliath battle, UVW members Freddy and Angelica, a married couple from Ecuador, took on luxury sports car dealer HR Owen and beat the odds; overcoming intimidation, unlawful dismissal, and winning the London Living Wage.
Victory (2017)
In a dispute and victory which was the first of its kind, outsourced cleaners at the London School of Economics, all of whom were BAME and primarily migrants, fought back against institutional racism and demanded to be made direct employees of the university. In what was then the biggest cleaners strike in UK history, these heroes became the first group of workers to force a British university to end the practice of outsourcing cleaners!
Victory (2016)
Owned by Amancio Ortega, the richest man in Europe, and located in the heart of the City of London, and home to financial giants JP Morgan and Schroders, 100 Wood Street did not know what had hit it when UVW members embarked on the longest strike in the history of the City of London.
Victory (2016)
Topshop, part of the Arcadia Group owned by tax cheat Sir Phillip Green, had outsourced its cleaners onto poverty wages and the lowest terms and conditions legally possible. But when the cleaners began to fightback, management got a lot more than it bargained for.
Victory (2016)
Only a minority of the generous tips left for chefs and waiters in the luxury restaurants of Harrods emporium were going to staff. But the workers weren't going to accept their money being stolen without a fight!
Cleaners at John Lewis staged bold demonstrations and occupations to demand fair treatment and living wages.
Victory (2015)
In the heart of well-heeled Mayfair, Sotheby’s management thought they could pull a fast one on UVW members by rowing back on commitments to the London Living Wage, reinstatements, and fair workloads. But after several weeks of demonstrations and protests the workers walked away with the London Living Wage and full pay sick pay!
Victory (2015)
UVW members at The Barbican Centre were paid poverty wages, but fought back and won not only the London Living Wage for themselves, but the entirety of the outsourced facilities staff contracted by the Barbican’s owner, the City of London.
Cleaners at Withers LLP secured UVW’s first-ever dispute win, setting the stage for a decade of grassroots organising.
