Demonstrators have gathered in Cardiff 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 USA going on strike on Thursday, November 17.
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 on Thursday afternoon, urging hospitality workers to unionise and stand up for better working conditions. Hospitality worker John Williams, a member of the Unite Wales youth committee, told WalesOnline: "[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.
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"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 explained how the strikes in the USA could have a knock-on effect in the UK, saying that "for a lot of workers in the US, there was a feeling that young people were never going to get organised [in unions]," - until they did. He also said young people might not just take a leaf out of American workers' book, but follow the example of others in the UK too.
He said: "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?’"
John isn't keen on Keir Starmer, saying he isn't doing enough and should be guaranteeing a £15/hr minimum wage and allowing his frontbench MPs to attend picket lines. 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 zero-hours 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 are on strike across the USA. One of them told the American news source: "This is to show them we’re not playing around. We’re done with the their anti-union retaliation and them walking away from bargaining."
The UK has seen a lot of industrial action in recent months. A big crowd of BT and Royal Mail workers gathered in Cardiff's Central Square last month in a protest over pay, coinciding with strikes in both companies.
The RMT has also been on strike several times in 2022, which could continue into next year. Although these strikes don't apply to Transport for Wales employees, they often have a knock-on effect on train services in Wales.
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