By Prerna Kumar and Marta Aiello
Hospitality workers in the Holloway area are struggling to make ends meet during the cost of living crisis as they continue to receive minimum wage for physically demanding jobs.
Currently there is a shortage of hospitality workers, mainly because of Brexit but also due to problems evolving from Covid.
Low pay, poor working conditions and zero-hour contracts mean that many workers in the industry cannot afford to pay their bills, and must often work over and above the hours they agreed to keep themselves clothed, housed and fed.
Abdulrahman Ali, 21, a barista at Costa Coffee, says: “Half of my salary goes into rent.” He lives with his brother and sister with whom he shares the rent, and also tries to support his family.
Ali adds that he does not have the privilege to take time for himself, which negatively affects his mental health. “I force myself to work,” he adds.
Most people in the country spend, on average, 27 percent of their salary on rent, according to the Office for National Statistics, Equifax reported.
Ali at Costa Coffee. Photo by Marta Aiello
Another local barista, who didn’t want to be named, works at the Gonuts bubble tea cafe and said that his rent recently went up.
As he is also a student at London Metropolitan University, he has now been forced to combine working 50-60 hours per week with studying at night. “It feels like it’s never ending,” he said.
Gonuts cafe. Photo by Marta Aiello
Finney Macmay, 24, who is a bar manager at London Met’s student bar the Rocket, saw a pay rise of 90p per hour in November, which was meant to match the London Living wage, currently £11.95 per hour.
While the raise was welcome, he says that working conditions at the Rocket have become more difficult for him and other workers at the establishment.
The bar is full every night (“It’s busier here because drinks are cheaper”), he says, but there is a shortage of staff, which means that current staff have to work a lot harder to cover the bar and train new employees.
Finney Macmay, manager at The Rocket. Photo by Prerna Kumar
One change that could have a positive effect on hospitality workers is a new bill that was passed on 20 January in Parliament, but still has not become law.
The new Employment (allocation of Tips) Bill, which, if it becomes law, will obligate employers to pass 100% of tips to the workers who earned them. Currently, it is up to the employers if the management keeps the tips, or if they are shared amongst all employees.
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