Hi everyone, Appeal for support in my employment tribunal claim against Philip Green's Topshop and their cleaning contractor Britannia Services Group Limited. After 7 years of cleaning Philip Green's flagship Topshop store in Oxford Street on poverty wages, my colleague and I, who is also my best friend and a fellow single mum from Ecuador, have both finally been sacked. The official reason for my sacking was that I “invited people to attend the protests at Topshop”, “spoke through a megaphone" and "held a placard with 'Topshop shame on you' written on the front". The only real reason for sacking me was to break the union and de-rail the campaign for a living wage so Britannia and Topshop can go back to underpaying, overworking and mistreating the cleaners. One of the reasons we live in a low wage economy today in the UK, is because every time workers like me join a union and ask for a living wage, we get victimised by unscrupulous employers such as Britannia and Topshop. We must take a stand against these unscrupulous and arrogant bosses who think that our rights are contingent on their approval. I feel that my rights are being completely trampled on and my colleague and I are taking Britannia and Topshop to an employment tribunal with the help of our union United Voices of the World (UVW). I have an interim relief hearing pending which is basically a hearing for the tribunal to decide if it looks likely that I will win my claim for trade union victimisation at a final hearing. However, my union UVW, which is a small independent campaigning union which represents low paid migrant workers like me, have been asked to show what's called a “certificate of independence” before the cases can proceed. This certificate is nothing more than a piece of paper from the State to certify that we are not a "sweet-heart union" i.e one which is under the thumb of the bosses. UVW are fighting the need to have this certificate, as the idea they could ever be a "sweet-heart union" is laughable. In fact, there may not be a union which is less subservient to the bosses than UVW. However, the tribunal may still compel them which will cost £4066. UVW runs on a shoe-string budget and would struggle to find the £4066 and would prefer to spend what funds we have on supporting some of the most oppressed and unrepresented groups of workers in the UK. However, in order to get justice in our case we may have no option which is why we are appealing for your help. If I win the interim relief hearing and/or the final hearing then it will be a victory for all workers fighting for dignity, respect and a living wage. Please therefore consider donating whatever you can afford to allow UVW to continue to give us and other workers the representation we need and deserve. You can donate using your credit or debit card or via PayPal following this link - http://www.uvwunion.org.uk/emergency-appeal/ The Co-operative Bank Account title: United Voices of the World Sort code: 08-92-99 Account: 65755617 Thank you, hugs and solidarity.