The strippers leading the fight to get sex workers protected by unions In the UK, strippers have few rights, are classed as self-employed and denied the benefits of being an employee

Gia was working in a strip pub in London earlier this year when she received an unexpected text. “I got fired without warning,” she explains. “They sent me a text saying there was no more work because I hadn’t remembered to confirm my shift that morning. They wouldn’t even speak to me over the phone.”

‘Most clubs charge a fine or the full house fee if we miss a shift, even if it’s due to illness or childcare issues’ – Gia

Gia’s story is typical. In the UK, strippers have few rights, are classed as self-employed and denied the benefits of being an employee but without the freedom of self-employment. It’s not unusual to face fines for minor infringements – chewing gum or having chipped nail polish, for example – and dancers can be fired at the drop of a hat.

i's opinion newsletter: talking points from today Email address is invalid Email address is invalid Thank you for subscribing! Sorry, there was a problem with your subscription.

In many clubs, dancers are expected to pay exorbitantly high ‘house fees’ for the privilege of being allowed to work. House fees vary between clubs, ranging from £20 to £120. Some clubs also take a percentage of dancers’ tips (between 20 and 60 per cent). Fines can be up to £50. Accounts from dancers suggest blacklisting and sexual harassment is rife.

“Most clubs charge a fine or the full house fee if we miss a shift, even if it’s due to illness or childcare issues,” says Gia. “No one gets fined for being ill in a properly employed role.”

People are worried about making things worse

In a stigmatised industry often excluded from discussions about mainstream work, a mood of acceptance has prevailed. “It’s easy to identify issues in the workplace, but these conversations don’t usually make it out of the changing rooms,” Gia adds. “A lot of the time people feel lucky their job is still legal, or that they still have one. They’re worried about making things worse by complaining.”

But things are changing. Gia is one of around 50 strippers who’ve joined United Voices of the World (UVW), a small, members-led union which supports precarious workers such as service industry and security staff, porters and cleaners. Spearheaded by the Women’s Strike Assembly, which is coordinating the drive, UVW has now opened its doors to sex workers.

‘When UVW cleaners rallied for the London living wage, sex workers were on the picket line and organised a fundraiser party for those on strike’

“Solidarity between workers has been strong,” says Gia. When UVW cleaners rallied for the London living wage, sex workers were on the picket line and organised a fundraiser party for those on strike.

“The sex industry has been isolated for so long,” Gia adds. “It’s time workers came together.”

Women need to become the voice of the industry

Louise Wells, who’s been stripping for eight years and now works between Edinburgh, Glasgow and London, agrees it’s time for change. “Stripping is a close-knit community,” she says. “Whenever we start in a new club it’s a given that we’ll know someone through a friend of a friend. I think we can all see how quickly unionisation can spread.

“The majority of club owners and managers are men, but it’s the dancers – women – who need to become the voice of the industry. We are the industry.”

The Women’s Strike Assembly hopes that, while dancers are first in line for unionisation, sex workers from other parts of the industry will be next.

‘By beginning with the most visible and legal workers we will gain the necessary experience, skills and strength in numbers to then move into organising workers who work in brothels, escort agencies, on the internet and in the street’

The unionisation of sex workers might look like fighting zoning laws which prohibit soliciting in particular areas, challenging arrests and fines, standing up to exploitative bosses or pursuing non-payments from clients.

Spokesperson Camille Barbagallo told i: “By beginning with the most visible and legal workers we will gain the necessary experience, skills and strength in numbers to then move into organising workers who work in brothels, escort agencies, on the internet and in the street.

“Unions have long history of changing industries and making things safer for workers. In countries like Argentina and Italy, where street workers organised, they were able to change the conditions of their work.”

But so much of sex work remains illegal

But while so many aspects of sex work remain illegal – for instance, working in a brothel or soliciting – the idea of unionisation seems distant. However, Decrim Now, a newly formed coalition of sex workers, human rights activists, feminists and politicians, which is calling for the full decriminalisation of sex work, says unions will be a key part of its message.

Decrim Now launches at The World Transformed festival, which runs in parallel to this year’s Labour conference in Liverpool, and the group hope to win support from a Labour base friendly to workers’ rights.

“Without unions, decriminalisation could end up favouring bosses and leaving workers at the mercy of the market,” a spokesperson for Decrim Now told i. “Unionisation means shifting the power imbalance in workers’ favour.”

‘Sex workers need labour rights precisely because exploitation does occur.’

Aisling Gallagher, Labour councillor for Lewisham Central, is part of the Decrim Now coalition. “I hope my Labour colleagues will make time to listen to the voices of sex workers during the conference,” she said. “Calls for decriminalisation aren’t based on a pretence that the sex industry is free from exploitation. Sex workers need labour rights precisely because exploitation does occur.”

I was scared for my safety

Blair Buchanan, a London-based sex worker who recently joined UVW, told i: “After working on my own and being scared for my safety, I started at a brothel to try and keep myself safer. My boss was exploitative but there was nothing any of us could do. With decriminalisation and access to a union I could have left and worked with a friend or organised my co-workers to strike and challenge our boss.”

No official figures exist for the number of strippers in the UK, but there are an estimated 70,000 to 80,000 sex workers, making this, arguably, the UK’s largest non-unionised workforce.

A spokesperson for UVW said: “United Voices of the World is pleased to welcome sex workers as a new group of members. Working in extremely precarious conditions, sex workers are regularly stigmatised, criminalised and deprived of the most basic employment rights. UVW supports sex workers organising to demand and fight for their rights at work, for full decriminalisation and for safety.”