Village Hotel workers in Glasgow ballot for strike action

Unite members at Village Hotels in Glasgow are holding a vote on whether to strike in an ongoing dispute over pay and working conditions.

The union has been in talks with the hotel on Pacific Drive in Glasgow in a bid to secure the real living wage of £12.60 per hour for its members, as well as paid breaks.

Around 90% of food and beverage workers are involved in the dispute, where employees are requesting “equal pay for everyone regardless of age starting at the real living wage of £12.60, paid breaks for everyone, and backdated wages for those under 21-years at the same rate as fellow workers in Village Edinburgh – who are paid significantly more for the same roles”, according to Unite.

The ballot opened this week and will close on 15 July.

If members vote in favour of strike, it will be the first strike action at a major hotel in over 40 years.

Bryan Simpson, national lead for Unite hospitality, said: “Village Hotel workers deserve the real living wage, they deserve paid breaks and the right to have their union collectively bargaining for improved working conditions. 

“The hospitality sector is notorious for its exploitative and precarious practices. The approach by Village management towards its workforce – which is to hide behind a race to the bottom – is scandalous.”   

A Village Hotels spokesperson told The Caterer: “We continually review our remuneration policies in line with industry best practices and invest significantly in employee benefits, incentives and welfare to make Village a rewarding place to work. Our pay scales reflect local market dynamics and are aligned with the different roles and skills required at each hotel.”

Village Hotels, which operates 33 properties across the UK in the mid-market sector, recently announced bold expansion plans to open five hotels a year over the next five years.

The expansion plans coincide with a proposed £82m refurbishment of its existing estate, backed by new owner Blackstone, which acquired Village from private equity firm KSL Capital Partners in an £850m deal in June 2024.