Harrods, the renowned London department store, is potentially facing significant strike action by its staff during the crucial Christmas period. Hundreds of employees, who are members of the United Voices of the World (UVW) union, will cast their votes in December regarding potential strike action due to what they describe as "poor working conditions" and issues surrounding their festive bonus.
The UVW union has indicated a "strong possibility" that the strike action will commence from 19 December, with the ballot taking place on 4 December, as reported by .
The staff at Harrods have demanded an annual festive bonus of £500, a guaranteed yearly pay rise above inflation, and increased staffing levels. There is reportedly discontent among employees as the store distributed £180m in bonuses to its owners and awarded a £2.1m salary to its managing director, while frontline staff have "faced stripped benefits, staff shortages and stagnant wages", according to UVW.
2024 marked the second consecutive year that Harrods, which is owned by the investment arm of Qatar's sovereign wealth fund, allocated the £180m bonus. The UVW stated that Harrods' management has so far declined to engage with or recognise the union.
Lourenco Hernandes, a cleaner at the department store, expressed that conditions have been "getting worse" and that staff feel "disrespected and bullied". He added: "One of the biggest problems is the staff shortage. We used to have some 60 cleaners on the early morning shift, and now there are less than half that. We're doing more than double the work."
Harrods has recently faced a significant decline in public opinion following abuse allegations made by over 200 former female employees against Mohamed Al Fayed. Despite his passing last year at the age of 94, Harrods' managing director issued an apology for Al Fayed's behaviour, stating that the business "failed our colleagues", and acknowledging a "presid[ing] over a toxic culture of secrecy, intimidation, fear of repercussion and sexual misconduct" under Al Fayed's leadership.
However, despite this negative publicity, Harrods reported a surge in sales to £1bn during its most recent financial year, marking an 8.2 per cent increase year on year. City AM has reached out to Harrods for comment.
