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29.07.2024 / News /

UVW members at Harrods fight to see their families abroad

“ I am a migrant worker with two children, our families are in India and traveling there is not easy. The ticket prices are so high during the children’s school holiday. We can’t leave them here. I haven’t seen my family for three years! We explained all of this, and I was very surprised that their response was “we have to take care of our business, we don’t care”. 

UVW members who clean a famous luxury store, Harrods, are voting to strike against a potentially discriminatory holiday policy that severely restricts their ability to take time off to visit their families abroad. 

In June Harrods, a 175-year-old institution, introduced a policy limiting holidays to a maximum of two weeks for all facilities workers. This sudden and unjust change in policy was received with anger and dismay by the cleaners, most which hail from Asia and Africa.

UVW has called on Harrods to immediately revoke the unfair holiday policy and to engage in meaningful dialogue with its employees to ensure fair treatment for all.  Despite raising concerns about unfairness and impracticality of this policy, Harrods has ignored the workers’ concerns.

“I am a migrant worker with two children, our families are in India and traveling there is not easy. The ticket prices are so high during the children’s school holiday. We can’t leave them here. I haven’t seen my family for three years! We explained all of this, and I was very surprised that their response was “we have to take care of our business, we don’t care”. They say these changes are supposed to provide cover for the peak periods, but we are behind the scenes, the daytime cleaners face the customers. We are working in the restaurant and escalators, we sweep, remove the trash, and make ready for the next day. I feel like they are introducing these changes because they want to get rid of us or reduce staff. We have worked at Harrods for more than a decade, we are many and we are united. They know we know our rights, with new staff, this might not be the case. No-one wants to go on strike, everyone needs to work, we have used up all other options; we have raised it verbally, formally and informally and tried to solve this amicably. They just don’t seem to care, they are reluctant to listen to us, it’s like they have no empathy.” said Maclino Rodrigues, UVW member and Harrods night cleaner of eight years.

Those who had already arranged and paid for their holidays have been left scrambling to cancel or change their plans after the swift introduction of the new holiday policy.

Harrods has a history of poor treatment of its workforce, prompting UVW’s fourth campaign to defend workers’ rights at the store. In 2017, UVW secured 100% of the service charge for chefs and waiters, previously withheld up to 75% by Harrods. In December 2021, restaurant workers won a nearly 25% pay rise, setting a new pay benchmark in the sector. Earlier this year, workers had to threaten to strike again to secure a pay review effective from April 2024.

We know that UVW members often save for several years to travel long distances to visit their families. Taking several shorter trips in a year and seeing families abroad is not possible. 

In response to this blatant disregard for their rights, the Harrods night cleaners have instructed their union United Voices of the World (UVW) to send Harrods a Notice of Intention to Ballot (NOIB). 

Strike dates will be announced soon – get ready to support the night shift cleaners at Harrods.

Donate the strike fund here >>

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