Unpaid overtime, unfair pay and harassment in the workplace are just some of the reasons that architecture workers in the UK have formed a grassroots trade union for the first time.
Independent trade-union United Voices of the World's Section of Architectural Workers (UVW-SAW) announced its launch in October after 18 months of preparatory work.
"The architectural sector is in a time of crisis," a spokesperson for UVW-SAW told Dezeen. "Regular unpaid overtime, stagnating wages, discrimination, harassment, and overwork add to an already toxic culture of stress and competition."
"Some of our members have been working for as much as 60 hours overtime per week, while others haven't taken a weekend break for four months," they added. According to UVW-SAW, it is the first time that workers across all areas of the sector have come together to create a grassroots union that represents their rights, rather than promoting the industry.
The union represents not just architects, but office cleaners, model makers, administrative staff and interns working in the industry.

UVW-SAW's demands include introducing pay scales that fairly compensate architecture workers, enforcing a maximum number of hours in the working week and making sure all overtime is optional, pre-agreed and paid.
Their first campaign is against overwork by stopping architectural employers from asking workers to sign away their working-time directives.
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