Dozens of workers at Glasgow Vue cinema begin strike action

Unite hospitality members at Vue in the St Enoch Centre kicked off strike action, which is expected to last for four weeks, running from December 11 to January 7, 2026, unless there is a resolution to the row.

Staff rallied outside the entrance of the centre at around 3pm, holding signs and banners.

Some of which read “recognise the vue-union”, “hospitality workers together”, and “pay us enough to afford your snacks”.

Unite the Union is said to represent ‘the overwhelming majority’ of the customer assistants and team leaders at the city centre venue.

In November, the union claimed that workers had ‘overwhelmingly’ backed industrial action to secure the Real Living Wage for all staff aged 18 and over, trade union recognition, and safe subsidised transport for employees at the end of shifts.

The decision was described as a ‘historic first’ at a Scottish cinema chain.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Unite’s members at the VUE cinema in the St Enoch's centre are set to take historic strike action against a major cinema chain for the first time.

“Our members should not be in this situation in the run-up to the festive season because VUE Entertainment can easily meet their fair and reasonable asks.

"This dispute is a story about a group of young, low-paid and precarious workers saying enough is enough.

“They are fighting back against greedy companies - and they will have Unite’s unstinting support every step of the way in their battle to secure better jobs, pay and conditions.”

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Vue confirmed that the St Enoch Centre cinema will remain open during strike action.

Yusuf Kidwai was on the picket line and told the Glasgow Times that workers “want to be taken seriously”.

He said: “We’re out here for four very simple reasons: we want a Real Living Wage, paid and safe transport home on closes, better contracted hours, and we want to be respected and recognised as a union.

“We’re just trying to make our workplace the kind of place that everyone wants to work in. I’m the lead convenor of this, and we started off in April, and it was just a matter of getting the numbers up.

“In our industry, hospitality, there’s a lot of turnover, and there’s not a strong union culture. We have almost 50 members, and there was an 80 per cent turnout for the ballot, with 100 per cent voting yes to going out on strike.

“We gained more membership after our ballot, which is pretty much unprecedented in hospitality, and we’re very proud.

“Hopefully it gets eyes on us, gets attention, and we’re able to make the case for ourselves.”

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Vue is the second Glasgow hospitality venue to be hit by ‘disruption’ after Unite’s membership at Village Hotels in Govan also supported strike action.

The Village Hotels strike action started on November 28 and is expected to run for five weeks until January 2, 2026.

United further claims that Vue Entertainment Limited made a profit of £25.3 million in 2024, which is said to be up from £10.5 million in 2023.

Unite industrial officer Lorna Glen said: “VUE Entertainment are forcing our members out of the door and into the winter cold because they simply refuse to address the unacceptable pressures and conditions which the cinema workers face every day.

“They are low and unequal pay, late hours, unreliable safe transport home and a failure by VUE to recognise their union.

“The strike action will cause severe disruption to VUE cinema goers during the festive season, but management doesn’t seem to care either about its workers or its customers.

“The blame for this dispute lies squarely at the cinema doors of VUE.”

A Vue spokesperson said: “Our teams are at the heart of our business and are highly valued. We continue to have regular meetings and open dialogue with site team members.

“We’re still open and welcoming customers and look forward to providing the Ultimate Big Screen Experience over the festive period.”