YOUR PARTY MP Zarah Sultana and dozens of trade unionists braved the wind and rain to join striking workers on the Village Hotel picket in Govan on Thursday night.

Workers at the site made history over the summer with the first strike at a major hotel chain since 1979, winning equal pay with colleagues in Edinburgh.

But they returned to the picket line last month in a bid to win a minimum of the real living wage for all workers, regardless of age.

Unite convener Daniel Friel told the rally: “Village are more than happy to spend lots of money throughout this dispute bussing up workers from across the UK to cover the work that we would have been doing.

“This is hugely expensive for them, it’s a lot more expensive than it would be just to pay us equally at the new living wage, but they would rather do that because it avoids, from their perspective, a dangerous precedent.

“They know that as soon as we get it in Glasgow, we’re going to move across other sites in the UK.”

Slamming the CEO Gary Davis for not engaging with the union, he continued: “We intend to continue strike action for all of January, continuously.

“If our members have learned anything over the past two years that we’ve been organising in this hotel, it’s that this company will not do the right thing unless they’re absolutely forced to do it by the collective will of our employees.”

Offering her solidarity to the 37 striking workers, Ms Sultana said: “Village Hotels cannot plead poverty, it’s owned by Blackstone, the world’s largest asset management company.

“They’re protecting profits, they’re protecting their shareholders, and workers are expected to just shut up and put up with insecure work, low pay and inequality.

“You are refusing to accept that and you’re inspiring others to fight.

“There is nothing radical about demanding a living wage, there’s nothing radical about demanding equal pay for equal work, and let me be clear, there is nothing radical about the right to join a union — it’s a fundamental right.

“If Blackstone can manage a trillion dollars in assets, it can afford to pay you properly. Your fight is our collective fight.”

Village Hotels was contacted for comment.