Strippers who claim they have endured poor treatment and are owed thousands of pounds of unpaid wages are preparing to launch legal action against a central London club.
Dancers accuse SophistiCats in Soho of unfairly dismissing them after they called for bosses to improve their working conditions and pay outstanding wages.
The strippers, who are represented by United Voices of the World (UVW), say they have been pressured into selling champagne, as well as being subjected to abusive and threatening behaviour from managers.
Workers also say they have been hit with fines - such as £50 for getting to work slightly late or going to the toilet at an ”inappropriate” time.
UVW claims that after they raised concerns about conduct with the owner, SophistiCats bosses told union members there were no shifts for them and they have not worked since.
A spokesperson for SophistiCats told The Independent there was a payment issue beyond the company’s control but no legal action had been filed. The union says it has started the legal process and the strip club has been notified.
Rose*, a performer at the club, said: “One day went by, then weeks and then another week and nothing. My manager came up with excuse after excuse, she kept telling me ‘tomorrow we will transfer the money’ and no money ever came.”
She said she showed her manager messages from her landlord but still received no money, adding she was forced to ask her friends to cover her rent.
“Then once the letter was sent from the union, me and other girls were not given any more shifts,” Rose added. “At first I didn't know why they didn’t want us back, especially as I heard they’d hired a lot of new dancers. When I spoke to some of the other dancers and they said they were told we had been fired for being toxic.”
I have to stand up for myself and others, I don’t think it’s right for women to be treated like this.— Helen
The legal claim will allege the dancers are wrongly classed as independent contractors working for themselves and must be categorised as workers eligible for minimum wage, sick pay, annual leave, pensions and maternity leave.
Helen*, a dancer at the club, said: “I have to stand up for myself and others, I don’t think it’s right for women to be treated like this.
“I joined the union because I got suspended again and one of the reasons was because I stood up about the champagne sales, I never cowered when they said, ‘if the customer doesn’t buy a bottle of champagne for £1,000, you can’t do (dance) your time.’”
Petros Elia, general secretary of UVW, said SophistiCats has engaged in “abysmal treatment” of performers and other workers, adding their legal claim and wider campaign “will win justice for strippers, sooner or later.”
“Then once the letter was sent from the union, me and other girls were not given any more shifts. At first I didn’t know why they didn’t want us back, especially as I heard they’d hired a lot of new dancers. When I spoke to some of the other dancers and they said they were told we had been fired for being toxic.”— Rose
A spokesperson for SophistiCats said the union is “aware that the funds withheld from the performers are due to an ongoing issue with credit card companies concerning chargebacks”.
The representative added: “This situation is beyond our control, as we function as an intermediary between the payments made by customers and the credit companies for the services provided by the performers.
“No legal actions have been filed against the company at this time. We strongly refute any allegations of mistreatment of our performers. We are deeply committed to their welfare and have consistently advocated for their rights to work.”
The spokesperson said “all monies owed will be paid as and when received.”
*Names have been changed to protect identities
