Decent work call

Unite members took their fight for decent work in hospitality including fair tips and union rights to Malmaison hotels in London and Leeds this Sunday (February 26) as the hotel chain’s big wedding showcase gets under way.

Unite has been speaking to workers at Malmaison as part of its campaign to improve working conditions in the UK hospitality industry where low wages, long hours, unfair tipping practices and open hostility to trade unions have become standard practice.

Talking to workers, Unite has uncovered that some hotel managers could be keeping back service charge payments from customers in order to pay for breakages or to top up tills that are short of cash. Concerns over unfair and unsafe practices in the workplace such as health and safety breaches and management bullying have also been raised.

On Sunday (February 26), Unite members handed out leaflets outside the two hotels, as they held their prestigious wedding fairs, calling on Malmaison CEO Paul Roberts to sign up to the union’s five point pledge for decent work in hospitality which includes:

1.    A wage workers can live on and fair tips

2.    Safe secure work, with an end to workplace bullying

3.    Guaranteed hours each week – no more zero hours contracts

4.    Training, development and career opportunities

5.    A collective voice and union recognition.

“Our message to Malmaison and the rest of the industry is simple – hospitality starts with your workers,” said Unite national officer Rhys McCarthy. “And our message to customers is that any company that isn’t hospitable to its staff will probably not be very hospitable to you.

“We’re calling for decent work at Malmaison. That means a wage workers can live on, fair tips, safe secure work with an end to workplace bullying. Workers should get guaranteed hours each week with no more zero hours and training, development and career opportunities.

“All of that has to be guaranteed by an active voice for workers and proper union recognition.

“That’s what Malmaison workers deserve. And when we’ve won that battle, we’ll be moving on to other hospitality employers throughout the UK.”

The union’s decade long campaign for fair tips has put rip off tip and service charge scams firmly on the political agenda, ever since it successfully campaigned to have Pizza Express drop an 8 per cent admin fee deducted from staff tips paid by card.

Unite’s #FairTips campaign has been targeting Malmaison on Twitter and other social media, alongside leaflet and poster campaigns outside Malmaison hotels throughout the UK.