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“We work 12-hour shifts dealing with violence, aggression, lost children and medical emergencies to keep families safe — yet we’re understaffed, unsupported and taken for granted.”
Alan Riley, Butlin’s Resort Safety Officer and UVW member
As Butlin’s celebrates its 90th anniversary, Resort Safety Officers at its Bognor Regis resort have launched a campaign demanding safer working conditions, fair pay and greater investment in the workers responsible for protecting thousands of holidaymakers every year.
The officers, all members of United Voices of the World (UVW), have presented Butlin’s management with seven demands for a safe, secure and fair workplace. They have given the company seven days to respond, warning that failure to address their concerns could lead to further action, including a ballot for industrial action.
In a letter hand delivered to management, the workers raised concerns over chronic understaffing, broken equipment, unlawful wage deductions and poor management practices, which they say are undermining their ability to keep guests and colleagues safe.
The Resort Safety Officers say they regularly deal with serious incidents including violence, aggression, medical emergencies and missing children, but are being left without the staffing levels, support and resources needed to carry out their roles safely. They warn that exhausted officers, unpaid breaks, and an over reliance on agency staff in supervisory roles are creating serious safety risks across the resort.
Their seven demands include a pay rise to £14 an hour, paid night-shift breaks, repayment of wages they say were unlawfully deducted, the recruitment of five additional permanent Resort Safety Officers, changes to management and workplace policies, and trade union recognition.
Alan Riley, a Resort Safety Officer at Butlin’s Bognor Regis and UVW member, said the current conditions were putting both workers and guests at risk.
“I’ve worked in security for more than 20 years, including in the Met Police and at the Royal Albert Hall, so I know good security well. What we’re seeing at Butlin’s is unacceptable,” he said.
“We work 12-hour shifts dealing with violence, aggression, lost children and medical emergencies to keep families safe, yet we’re understaffed, unsupported and taken for granted. In the last two weeks alone, I’ve faced violence at work, and not one manager has checked on me.”
Alan said workers were proud of the role they played but were demanding change: “We have an incredible team who give everything to protect guests, but we’re not getting the support or respect we deserve. That’s why we’re standing together and demanding change.”The workers say they have repeatedly raised these concerns but have been ignored, leaving them with no option but to launch a public campaign.
Butlin’s operates resorts in Bognor Regis, Minehead and Skegness and reported pre-tax profits of £28.3 million in 2024, according to accounts filed at Companies House.
We believe that while Butlin’s has built its reputation on providing safe family holidays, the company must invest in the workers who make that possible. UVW members have given Butlin’s seven days to do the right thing. If the company fails to respond meaningfully, they are prepared to escalate the dispute, including by balloting for industrial action.
Every frontline worker deserves to be able to carry out their job safely, especially the safety officers trusted with protecting thousands of families every year. UVW will back our members every step of the way until they win the safe working conditions, fair pay and the respect they deserve.
16.07.2026 / BUTLINS
14.07.2026 / Justice for Cleaners / radisson blu
144 Cambridge Heath Road
London E1 5QJ
07884 553443 (English)
07775 697605 (Español)
info@uvwunion.org.uk
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