‘My paintings are my protest’

In a book launch like no other, a Tale of Two Cities – a powerful graphically illustrated novel about bullied and exploited hotel workers, had its formal opening at this year’s Labour Party conference last night (September 27).

Unite commissioned the novel as a recruitment tool to reach out to a marginalised workforce – who often do not speak English and know very little of their workers’ rights.

The poor working conditions of British hotel workers are vividly brought to life in the novel, by artist and former chambermaid Barbara Pokryszka.

One illustration shows exhausted room attendants being shouted at to work faster, and told to ‘shut up and go back to work if you don’t want to lose your job’.

Barbara told launch attendees that included MPs and other campaign leaders that when she started to work at the top London hotel she soon became aware that working conditions were really tough. Barbara joined Unite.

“Despite the harsh conditions,” she said, “staff were too frightened to join the union and suffered in silence.

“I knew I had to do something to tell the story of what it was really like and I started to paint to express the suffering of workers and to press for change. My paintings are my protest.”

Barbara said she dedicated a whole year to the graphic novel in the hope that it will inspire all workers to organise and fight back whatever industry they worked in.

Many hotel workers then told their harrowing stories about what life is really like working in some of London’s top hotels.

“Unite is proud to publish this powerful illustrated graphic story,” said Dave Turnbull Unite regional officer.

Moving

“The poor working conditions of British hotel staff so movingly illustrated in this novel are all too common across the industry. Workers need to get organised, they need a trade union on their side to challenge these types of unfair work practices head on.

“Not a single UK hotel pays the living wage (£9.15 per hour). Low pay, zero hour contracts and open hostility toward trade unions by leading global hotel chains means that London is fast becoming the most unethical tourist destination in the world.

“The graphic novel is called Tale of Two Cities because we are drawing direct comparisons with New York where the sector is over 80 per cent unionised, and where workers are paid three times more than their London counterparts.

“It is our aim to get UK hotel workers organised and part of a union, so that they too can get better, fairer deal at work.”