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25.03.2026 / News /

Direct Action in Brixton: A Win for MIGRANT Workers

UVW members — including cleaners, students, and trade unionists — rallied with Peruvian head chef Raul Bottini on a bustling Friday evening in Brixton Market. The direct action protest demanded £800 in unpaid wages after Raul was compelled to resign from cHip cHop following weeks of non-payment that had left him on the brink of eviction.

A busy Friday evening in Brixton market. 

Stallholders packing up to basslines and cowbells. People weaving through the crowd — some on their way out for the night, others heading home, stopping for last-minute coriander, plantain. The familiar soundtrack of Brixton carrying through the streets. 

And into that, we gathered. Outside Brixton station, over 100 of us came together with Raul. We unfurled our banner, made by Latin American members using Arpilleras techniques, passed from women’s hands to women’s hands. A banner carrying stories of struggle and resistance. 

Back in November 2025, Raul Bottini, head chef at cHip cHop of 3 years, was forced to resign from work to get paid – just to pay his rent. 

He hadn’t been paid for weeks. £800 owed. Message after message, email after email — ignored. Excuses, delays, silence. 

He felt alone. He felt angry. 

“I liked that job because it had a very cheerful atmosphere. We worked from three in the afternoon until midnight, and many famous people also came through there. 

I had to resign because the payments started to be delayed: first by one week, then two, then three, and so on, until they kept piling up. There came a point when I worked for two months without receiving any pay. 

When I finally left that job, it affected me emotionally, since I had worked there for three years. I gave it my all and did my job as best as I could.” Raul Bottini 

But Raul was not alone. 

UVW contacted the bosses at the well-known Hip Hop emporium in Brixton. Calls. Emails. They ignored us too. A mistake. 

Fast forward to a cold Friday evening in March. 

We set off. Through Brixton market, weaving in and out of the indoor lanes. Stopping to tell Raul’s story — to restaurant workers, stallholders, passersby. People listened. People stopped. Some joined. 

The crowd grew. 

Raul led us through the market and onto Atlantic Road, back to his former workplace. 

“¡Que paguen el salario!” 
“Pay Raul now!” 

Chants in Spanish and English filled the street. Dancing, joy, noise. Hip hop, reggae, salsa, afrobeats — the soundtrack of UVW protests, the soundtrack of Brixton. 

People stopped. Took leaflets. Shook their heads at the injustice. Some joined us as we entered the cHip cHop, demanding the bosses come out and pay what was owed. 

Blue lights and sirens. The police came and went. 

We stayed. 

We kept going. 

Until the phone rang. 

After months of ignoring calls and emails, the boss finally called. Faced with organised workers and a community watching, he backed down. 

Every penny paid. 

A clear win for direct action. For community. For solidarity. 

If the bosses mess with one of us, they answer to all of us. 

This is UVW: action, not words. Wins, not promises. 

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