Harrods workers, including cleaners, shop floor workers and restaurant staff are set to strike on 21, 22 and 26 December “if the luxury store continues to deny them a Christmas bonus and improved working conditions,” the United Voices of the World (UVW) union has said.
Staff at the London department store, who are represented by UVW, said they had no option but to vote for a strike as the store’s management “refuses to recognise or engage with their union for negotiations”.
They will strike from 8pm on Friday 20 December to 9.30pm on Sunday 22 December, and from 12am to 9.30pm on Thursday 26 December, The Guardian reported.
The independent union said 95% of its members at the Knightsbridge store had voted in favour of strike action as “Harrods’ management continued to ignore their demands and refused to engage or even recognise the workers’ union”.
The union added that workers’ “pay and conditions have deteriorated, even as the company rewards its owners and top executives with exorbitant payouts”.
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The dispute arises from longstanding concerns over low pay, staff shortages, and excessive workloads. Workers claim management has repeatedly refused to engage with UVW to resolve their grievances, leaving them no choice but to pursue strike action.
Adding to frustrations, employees have been denied a Christmas bonus, as Harrods’ owners pocketed £180m in dividends last year. Meanwhile, the retailer’s managing director received a £2.1m salary, despite staff wages remaining stagnant.
A spokesperson for Harrods told The Guardian: “At Harrods we recognise the enormous contribution of our colleagues, particularly at busy trading periods such as Christmas … We are committed to working with our colleagues directly to address concerns, as we have been to date, and continue our constructive relationship with our recognised unions on pay and benefits.”
While a statement from the UVW said: “The potential strikes come in response to rising grievances, particularly over staff shortages and overwork, guarantees on fair pay rises in line with Retail Price Index (RPI) inflation, scrapping the cover charge in restaurants and the need for transparency over the distribution of service charge.
“Many benefits, like the Christmas bonuses and voluntary bank holiday work for cleaning staff, have been whittled away, while the world-famous luxury London store handed out £180m in bonuses to its owners and awarded a £2.1m salary to its managing director.”
The union said workers are calling for an above-inflation pay rise and the introduction of an annual Christmas bonus starting with £500 this year. The union says some workers receive a £50 voucher to spend in Harrods, which it claims is not easy to use.
They also want an end to mandatory bank holiday working for cleaners and the practice of “forcing” part-time cleaners to work nine days straight, as well as greater transparency of the service charge, with monthly reporting and an end to the cover charge, or distributing it entirely to employees working in restaurants and kitchens.
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