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Migrant workers at elite club to vote on strike action

MIGRANT workers at a club which sponsors Prime Minister Boris Johnson began voting on possible strike action yesterday.

Kitchen porters at 5 Hertford Street are demanding that they are paid the London Living Wage of £10.55 an hour and “proper” occupational sick pay.

The club is owned by millionaire Robin Birley who donated over £250,000 to Ukip and £20,000 to Mr Johnson’s leadership campaign.

Mr Birley also supported a campaign to free fascist Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet in the ’90s.

Workers were previously earning only £8.65 per hour prior to the launch for better rights campaign by the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain (IWGB) in May.

The club, where annual membership allegedly costs £1,800, was then forced to increase its pay to £9 per hour.

Workers are on the statutory minimum sick pay, so they get no money at all the first three days they are off work with an illness and then are only paid £94.25 per week.

The union also managed to force the club to reverse a decision to outsource the workers to facilities management company Act Clean and to suspend a number of workers “on trumped-up charges” following a petition that was signed by almost 1,000 people.

IWGB president Henry Chango Lopez said: “It’s disgraceful that in a restaurant that is attended by some of the richest people in the world, workers have to work when they are ill because they can’t afford to take time off.

“Now Birley has a choice, he can either pay up, or be forced to serve his meals on dirty dishes because those that clean them are out on strike.”

Workers will ballot for strike action until November 4.

The club did not respond to the Star’s request for comment by the time of publishing.

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