UVW seeks court injunction against Butlin’s over alleged union intimidation and blacklisting 

Grassroots trade union United Voices of the World (UVW) is seeking an urgent court injunction against Butlin’s after 10 unionised security officers were subjected to investigations. These investigations follow collective grievances against a manager and during a live dispute over pay, working conditions and health and safety.

UVW is seeking injunctive relief under Regulation 13 of the Blacklisting Regulations 2010 amid concerns that Butlin’s may have breached the Regulations by identifying and discriminating against workers because of their trade union activities.

The dispute concerns security officers working at Butlin’s Bognor Regis resort. In the lead-up to industrial action, workers submitted two collective grievances concerning the conduct of a manager whose removal from managerial duties is one of the workers’ demands.

The grievances were submitted on 21st and 22nd of August.

However, between 25th and 27th August, 10 UVW members were subsequently invited to investigation meetings following what appears to be a counter-grievance made by the same manager against whom workers had raised their collective grievances.

The next day, workers began strike action on the 28th and 29th of the Summer Bank Holiday weekend in August. Butlin’s was previously made aware of the dates for industrial action, which raises concerns over whether the investigation meeting was meant to intimidate the safety officers.

At least two of the 10 workers summoned to investigation meetings had not signed the collective grievance. UVW is concerned that these workers may have been identified through a blacklist or other prohibited record of union members and/or participants in the industrial dispute.

Workers were also told that Butlin’s management was downloading CCTV footage of striking workers.

UVW has instructed lawyers and is seeking an urgent injunction to prevent Butlin’s from continuing with, or at least to delay, the investigations while the serious concerns about potential blacklisting are properly addressed.

UVW members report that behind the scenes, unionised Resort Safety Officers are being told by agency workers that they must leave UVW or face the sack. If these reports are accurate, this represents an attempt to intimidate workers out of exercising their fundamental rights to organise and stand together. Freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining are internationally recognised workers’ rights. Article 23(4) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which recognises everyone’s right to form and join trade unions for the protection of their interests, safeguards this right.

Jamie, a Shift Supervisor at Butlin’s, said:

Butlin’s management should be ashamed that they’re intimidating us into not exercising our fundamental right to join a union and organise together. No worker should face disciplinary or investigatory action simply because they have exercised their right to join a trade union, organise collectively, raise grievances or take lawful industrial action.

Nelly Ospino, UVW General Secretary, said:

Our members raised a collective grievance and then went on strike because they are demanding a safer and fairer workplace. The response from Butlin’s appears to have been to turn the tables on the workers and investigate them instead. What is particularly concerning is that workers who did not even sign the grievance were among those targeted. We need to know how they were identified and why they were selected for investigation. If workers are being identified and targeted because they are union members, or because they have taken part in collective action, that is an extremely serious matter. Blacklisting has no place in the workplace. We are therefore seeking an urgent court injunction to protect our members while these matters are properly investigated. Workers should not have to choose between standing up for themselves and keeping their jobs.

The security officers are currently engaged in an ongoing programme of industrial action. Following strike action on the 28th–29th August, further discontinuous action is taking place from the 4th–6th September and the 10th–15th September, with continuous strike action scheduled to begin on the 21st September.

The workers are demanding:

• £14 an hour basic pay
• Payment for night-time breaks
• Repayment of wages deducted for breaks they say they were unable to take
• The recruitment of at least five additional permanent security officers
• The removal of the manager at the centre of the dispute from managerial duties
• A fairer uniform policy developed with union input
• Official recognition of UVW

The union says its application to the court is intended to protect workers’ rights to organise and participate in lawful trade union activity without fear of retaliation.