Strike action and industrial dispute at Tower Hamlets leisure centres

Motion Text

That this House expresses solidarity with members of Unite the Union taking strike action at Tower Hamlets’ public leisure centres; notes that workers have been waiting for over two years for in-house contracts to be issued after the commitment to insourcing rightly made by Tower Hamlets Council in May 2024; further notes that these workers have since been left faced with precarious work, inconsistent shifts, reports of unwritten contracts and owed wages; is concerned about the impact of this dispute on the health and wellbeing of these frontline workers; is further concerned about the services’ stability and safety for local residents; is alarmed by reports that workers are being expected to undertake work in unsafe and unsanitary conditions; believes that these leisure centre workers should have in-sourced contracts issued with fair terms and conditions, as promised; further believes that access to safe local swimming facilities are vital for physical health and mental wellbeing and tackling health inequalities; therefore, calls on Tower Hamlets council to engage constructively with Unite the Union to find a solution to this dispute, treating workers and trade union representatives with dignity and respect, and uphold commitments to reaching a just agreement; and further calls on the Government to make additional funding available to local authorities to address systemic inequalities in pay, conditions, and precarity of work for leisure centre workers.