Protest to Reinstate Victimised Cleaner: Alberto Durango – Justice for Cleaners Campaigner
Sacked cleaner Alberto Durango
23/12/11: City of London Corporation Cleaners say “OCCUPY GUILDHALL!”
Friday 23rd December, 6am onwards
The Guildhall
London EC2V 7HH
Cleaners staging sit in at Corporation of London’s Guildhall over abuse of women!
Cleaners are staging a sit-in at the Corporation of London’s Guildhall in protest at the inadequate response of their employer, the contractor Sodexo over the abusive treatment of women employees.
Guildhall Cleaners’ Strike Victory!
Report on strike and picket by cleaners at Guildhall (City of London) in protest at late and unpaid salaries going back months.
On Friday 15th July we met at 5:30am at Guildhall. Many people went to give solidarity, and the cleaners, who work for the subcontractor Ocean Contract Cleaning, shouted slogans such as “No pay, no work”. They painted their hands with the word stop and with their hands up shouting “Stop the Abuse.”
The police approached us and told us we could not protest in an undercover area immediately facing the reception, but we could do so outside in front of the art gallery because it was a public space. Solidarity came from cleaners from other sites, Colombian solidarity campaign, UCL and SOAS workers and students, Unison, and representatives from other IWW branches. The local priest offered coffee and use of the church toilet to the strikers and their supporters.
Dutch cleaners victory after 9 weeks sustained strike action!
Back in April whilst the UK was in Election fever, in the Netherlands the Dutch Railways cleaners went on strike, it became the longest strike in Dutch history since 1933. After 9 long weeks, mostly migrant cleaners without a great command of Dutch took on their bosses and won.
According to Willem Dekker, an organizer with Bondgenoten the largest trade union in the Netherlands, they won a number of concessions including: Read more
UBS’ bonus claiming bankers cut migrant cleaners “Living Wage”
In March, what started out as just another workplace dispute inside one London office for Union Bank of Switzerland (UBS) had escalated into an international campaign led by migrant workers. Today Friday 23rd April at 5pm outside UBS Capital, 100 Liverpool Street (see map)
UBS last week announced their highest ever pre-tax profits since the credit crisis began of US$2.3 billion and has fought criticism last month when London-based Carsten Kengeter was revealed to be UBS’ highest paid employee on £8.3 million, receiving a £7.8m bonus. Despite these eye-watering pay packets at the top, UBS has refused to intervene when their cleaning contractor Lancaster has given their lowest paid London employees a 10.75% pay cut on a full time cleaners’ weekly wage. The “Justice for UBS Cleaners” campaign is a response to the bank attempts through its contractors to drive down the cleaners’ 2008 victory of “Living Wage” pay and conditions.
Justice for UBS Cleaners Update
Listen to this interesting Colourful Radio interview with Henry Bonsu and Chris Ford, one of the organisers of last Friday’s Justice for UBS Cleaners international demonstration for sacked Unite shop steward Alberto Durango, and also to defend the living wage at UBS London offices.
According to reports there were between 100 and 150 people outside UBS Capital on Friday, and below are one of the many videos covering the demonstration.
Migrant cleaners fight UBS Bank across 3 continents
What started out as just another workplace dispute inside one London office for Union Bank of Switzerland (UBS) now has escalated into an international campaign led by migrant workers spanning 3 continents to picket UBS’ offices in Zurich, New York, Buenos Aires, Kyiv and other countries.
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Justice for UBS Cleaners Protest
As Union Bank of Switzerland (UBS) announce quarterly profits of £772 million this week, cleaning workers and their supporters will be demonstrating at their London offices on Friday 12th February.
The demonstration is in protest at attacks on workers’ pay and the dismissal of Alberto Durango, the cleaners’ now former shop-steward.
Read more