‘Silverburn Suffragettes’ defeat PURE bad bosses

Lynda McEwan

Amidst all of the confusion and fear surrounding government rules concerning employment during the coronavirus crisis, one group of combative women workers in Glasgow have fought back and won. 

PURE beauty salon staff working in Silverburn, Glasgow waged a determined struggle against management’s attempts to force them onto zero-hours contacts or resign. 

Calling themselves the Silverburn Suffragettes, they outright rejected the exploitative move by their bosses. This was despite over 150 other staff working in branches across the UK feeling forced into signing. 

Backed by the STUC’s Better Than Zero Campaign, the women cited worry about being unable to pay rent, mortgages and having children to support as the spark that ignited their action. 

Joining the GMB trade union they courageously held out over four days of heated negotiations. The bosses eventually backed down and agreed to pay the women’s full salary to April 1,meaning they are now eligible for the government’s policy to pay 80% of wages thereafter. 

Jubilant after their winning show of solidarity, the women are now calling on other workers to stand together and fight saying: “if you stand by each other then you can take on the world” (Glasgow Times).

This fighting spirit is indicative of women workers in Glasgow. In 2018, thousands of low paid care workers took strike action to win over £500 million in backdated compensation after enduring over a decade of unequal pay. 

It also shows the power working-class people hold and how instrumental the trade unions are in the struggle. 

The lesson that should be taken from this is that workers should join a trade union and unite collectively to fight back.