Protest in support of better pay for workers
DEMONSTRATORS gathered in Cardiff yesterday calling for hospitality workers to unionise in a collective demand for better pay and working conditions.
The protest was part of a show of solidarity with Starbucks workers in the US who were on strike.
More than 250 Starbucks stores in the US have won union rights so far and have gone on strike across 100 stores.
UK unions including Unite, the IUF, Workers United and BFAWU (the bakers’ union) have coordinated protests across 50 towns and cities in the UK.
In Cardiff, demonstrators gathered near the Aneurin Bevan statue on Queen Street, urging hospitality workers to unionise and stand up for better working conditions.
Hospitality worker John Williams, a member of the Unite Wales youth committee, said: “[In the US], they’re fighting for a $15/ hr [minimum wage], better pay, better conditions, proper control of rota and to get bad bosses off their backs.
“It’s not just a situation facing American workers, but in this country as well. This industry is the most under-paid sector in the British economy, and the most under-unionised.”
He added: “Many young and precarious workers are seeing the actions taken by the CWU and RMT, and barista workers are seeing that and saying: ‘Why can’t I unionise and get better working rights?’.”
Ruth Hydon, a regional officer from Unite, said: “When we organise with the support of trade unions, we win. We’re winning big pay rises for workers all over the country.”
She took aim at zero-hours contracts and minimum wage, saying: “Cost of living is a problem for everyone, and workers can’t survive on minimum wage that doesn’t meet their rent for a month.
“It’s time for us all to stand up and stick together with these workers who are just trying to make a living – and end these zerohours contracts.
“You’ve got to join a trade union. It’s the only way we can fight and win together.”
According to CNN, around 2,000 Starbucks workers were on strike across the US.