London hotel workers being exploited, union claims

Workers in London hotels are being exploited, suffering low pay rates and "shameful" employment practices, a union has claimed.

Unite said the sector employs many migrants, who were left exhausted after their shift because of long days and staff shortages.

Hotel staff often did not have time for a meal or rest break, while many chefs had suffered accidents caused by tiredness, according to the union.

Peter Kavanagh, Unite's London regional secretary, said: "The London hotel sector is failing its workforce. It has become a byword for low pay and exploitation. If these stories tell us anything, it is that shameful work practices, similar to those exposed at Sports Direct, have no place in 21st-century Britain.

"Low pay, zero-hour contracts and open hostility to trade unions have become standard practice, making London one of the most unethical tourist destinations in the world.

"It is a sad fact that hotel workers in places like Manila and Buenos Aires are shown more respect when it comes to their basic human and trade union rights, than workers in the capital of the world's fifth largest economy."

The union is staging a protest in the capital on Tuesday to highlight its complaints.

Advertisement