Outide Topshop in the Strand as the protesters leave
The United Voices of the World may be a small union, but it is getting a pretty big reputation for taking on some of the best known names for their poor employment practices. Their planned protest at Harrods tomorrow against the company paying low wages and stealing tips from those who work in the restuarants in the store has made the papers and even the BBC, who usually turn a blind eye to protests. Other big names they have taken on include the Barbican Arts Centre, John Lewis and Topshop, as well as some leading companies in the City of London.
Outide Topshop Oxford St after police have assaulted protesters Class War brought out Crime Scene tape
When the cleaners who work inside Topshop protested peacefully to be paid the London Living Wage, cleaning contractor Britannia reacted by suspending (and later sacking) two of them – the ‘Topshop 2‘. The UVW accuse Brittania of systematically victimising, bullying and threatening cleaners and Topshop of refusing to intervene although they are working in their shops.
Susanna, one of the ‘Topshop 2’ speaks in the Strand
The UVW, a grass roots union run by the workers, have gained the support of other groups involved in similar struggles to get a living wage for London’s low paid workers, many of whom are migrants. London only runs because of the essential work carried out by these and other low paid workers, many of whom have English as a second or third language and have qualifications which are not recognised in this country. As well as taking action to protect their members and improve pay and conditions, unions such as the UVW, CAIWU and IWGB also run English and other classes for their members.
As the pictures show, a large force of police had come to protect the shops, at first in the Strand and later they moved with the protesters to the Oxford Street Topshop, though the protesters were keen to point out that they should instead by arresting Philip Green, the chairman of Arcadia Group which includes Topshop (along with Topman, Wallis, Evans, Burton, Miss Selfridge, Dorothy Perkins, and Outfit) for his activities in disposing of BHS, and certainly not protecting a business that avoids paying the taxes which pay for the police.
One of the groups supporting the UVW at the protest was Class War, and there where other anarchists and left groups present, but the protest was peaceful and orderly, with just a little friction as police tried to move the protesters away from the shop entrance – which they then proceeded to block themselves.
After the protest had continued for some time, the protesters marched away and up to the Oxford St branch, close to Oxford Circus, with the police following. Outside there, the police got rather more physical, and I was pushed back with excessive force while taking pictures, and protesters – some of whom were pushing police, but others who, like me were simply standing close – started to get thrown bodily away, some of them hitting me as I now stood a few feet further back.
It was then that Class War got out their ‘Crime Scene Do Not Enter‘ tape and stretched it out in front of the line of police who had been assaulting the protesters.
Later, when the protesters moved along first to briefly block Oxford Circus and then to protest against John Lewis, a police officer threw Susana, one of the Topshop 2, to the ground. Fortunately she was not injured, but the protesters were incensed, and finally after an angry confrontation with UVW’s General Secretary Petros Elia, the officer concerned was forced by the senior officer to apologise to her for his inappropriate use of force. It was something I’ve never seen happen before, and surely a sign that the police recognised they had gone too far.
UVW Topshop 2 protest – Strand
UVW Topshop & John Lewis Protest
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