‘Take it or leave it’: Worker power in Britain’s low-paid economy has collapsed to a record low
Key Points
- Resolution Foundation research finds just 14% of UK workers in hospitality, cleaning and warehousing feel they have meaningful say over their pay, a record low and down from 23% in 2001
- 86% of low-paid workers want more agency over their pay, but 55% have no influence as their employer, the minimum wage or the real Living Wage sets their rate
- Just 4% of women in low-paid sectors said they would negotiate their pay individually, compared with 15% of all workers
- 62% of cleaning, hospitality and warehousing staff say they could not find a similarly paid job locally, rising to 83% of those on zero-hours contracts
- The think tank is calling on the government to extend social care's Fair Pay Agreement model to warehousing and cleaning
Just 14% of workers in Britain’s hospitality, cleaning and warehousing sectors feel they have meaningful influence over their pay and conditions, a new record low.
The figure, down from 23% in 2001, comes from new Resolution Foundation research published on Thursday (28 May).
The “Take it or leave it” report draws on a survey of 2,000 employees across the three sectors, which together employ 7% of the UK workforce, and points to a sharp erosion of individual worker power following decades of declining collective bargaining.
86% of workers surveyed said they wanted more agency over how their pay is set, but 55% said their employer alone, the minimum wage, the real Living Wage, or some combination of these determined their rate, leaving them with no say.
Only 38% said they would push back on unfair pay either individually or with colleagues, while a near-equal 34% said they would do nothing or did not know what they would do.
Women, younger workers and those on zero-hours contracts emerged as the most disempowered groups. Just 4% of women said they would negotiate their pay individually, compared with 15% of all workers and 10% of those on zero-hours contracts.
80% of workers under 35, 78% of women and 73% of zero-hours staff said they wanted more say over pay, though follow-up interviews suggested this reflected pessimism about workplaces ever shifting in their favour rather than confidence in their ability to push for change.
Workers in these sectors also did not feel able to exercise power by leaving.
62% of cleaning, hospitality and warehousing staff said they would find it difficult or impossible to find another similarly paid job locally, rising to 73% of younger workers and 83% of those on zero-hours contracts.
Interviewees cited strong competition for available roles and caution in the face of economic uncertainty.
The report calls on the government to extend the Fair Pay Agreement model it is setting up in social care to sectors such as warehousing and cleaning, and points to the Employment Rights Act 2025 as offering important protection where workers lack the power to shape their own terms.
It also highlights the role of line managers in shaping non-pay conditions such as shift flexibility, with workers reporting substantial inconsistency in how accommodating different managers were prepared to be.
“When it comes to addressing unfair pay and improving their work conditions, workers in low-paying sectors feel like they have little voice at work,” said Hannah Slaughter, Principal Economist at the Resolution Foundation.
“Women, young people, and those on zero-hours contracts feel especially exposed, and our interviews suggest many workers simply don’t believe things can change.”
“The Government should follow the model of social care and begin work on Fair Pay Agreements for areas such as warehousing and cleaning to give workers a collective voice to shape sector-wide pay and conditions,” she said.
