UK Workers lack basic skills?

Our Branch Secretary Hugh O' Shea was recently interviewed by Katy Holland from AOL Travel in response to a claim made by the director of Malmaison and Hotel du vin,Mr Williams, that UK workers are not interested in working in hotels and lack basic skills.

Having worked in hotel and restaurants in London for longer than ten years I agree partly to Mr Williams' statement. He may be right  to say that British people are not interested in working in hotels despite the high unemployment rate, but as Hugh pointed out, this is not because British workers lack skills.

2012 Hotel Workers Branch Meetings

2012 Central London Hotel Workers Branch Meetings 

VENUE: Unite House, 128 Theobalds Road, HOLBORN, London WC!X 8TN.

TIME:17.00 to 18.30 

DATES:

Monday 11th June 

Monday 2nd July 

Monday 6th August

Monday  3rd September

Union members can bring non-union hotel workers as their guests. OR London Hotel Workers can come along and join on the spot.

Every month there is a guest speaker who talks about Hotels and then takes part in a Q and A session.

Hotel workers mark the 'one year countdown' to London 2012


Room attendants, waiters, porters and kitchen staff will, on the eve of the countdown (Tuesday, 26th July) to one year until the London Olympics, protest against the treatment of the hospitality sector of its workforce.

When: 6pm, Tuesday, 26th July 2011

Where: Olympic Clock, Trafalgar Square

At the Olympic 2012 clock in Trafalgar Square, Unite members from the hospitality sector will gather to demonstrate their support for the London Living Wage (LLW).
Hotels still refuse to meet their responsibilities to pay staff fairly.

  • Unite the Union says: "this shameful position is damaging to London’s Olympic reputation and its standing in the world." 
  • Unite regional officer, Dave Turnbull says "the failure of major hotels in London to genuinely embrace the concept of a Living Wage for their staff tarnishes London’s reputation as the Olympic city and leaves workers feeling like second class citizens in a world class destination.”
  • Unite Hotel Workers branch says  "our members want a London Living Wage and refuse to accept that they should get the London Poverty Wage that so many hotels pay to their workers."


Hospitality Industry workers will leaflet London tourists to inform them of the low wages paid to staff. Many hotel workers are paid the lowest possible legal wage of £5.93 per hour, which means they get paid around £2.96 (tax and deductions) to clean a hotel room.Unite the Union is calling on The Mayor of London and the Olympic organisers to end the practice of hotels to give staff what amounts to a London Poverty Wage. 
 
PAY HOTEL WORKERS A "LIVING WAGE".

Union receives complaint about the use of Olympics logo....2012 organisers say "only direct employees promised London Living Wage".....but NO COMMENT on Unite demands for Olympic workers to get paid the London Living Wage.

40 London Hotel Workers,West London Citizens and international Trade Union representatives picketed the Mayfair Holiday Inn in support of the campaign for the London Living Wage(LLW) to be paid in hotels in London.


The first reaction was about use of the Olympic Logo. Also a protest about our demand that ALL OLYMPIC WORKERS should get the LLW.


Images of the picket will be on this site in a few days.


Union members will be at the AGM of IHG this Friday to support the "Fair Pensions" organisation's demands that the company should pay the Living Wage.

Holiday Inn Hotels and 2012 Olympics Chief Seb Coe accused of "breaking promises to workers" by Unite the Union hotel workers branch.


London, 24th May, 2011. At a demonstration outside the Mayfair Holiday Inn Unite the Union hotel workers, supported by West London Citizens community members and International Union of Food Worker  delegates asked two questions.


First, Why have Sebastian Coe and the Olympics movement not honoured the agreement  signed that "all providers of services to the 2012 Olympics should pay the London Living Wage" .

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