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.
Occupy London protest with Old Bailey Cleaners
On Thursday 24th November at 4:30pm, there will be loud and colourful demonstration at the historic Old Bailey, supported by the IWW and Occupy London. The people who clean the offices of the law firm, McGrigors, at the Old Bailey, are protesting against the illegal practices, bullying and the union-busting treatment they have received by Apollo Cleaning Services.
Apollo Cleaning Services was awarded the cleaning contract on 3rd October. Since then, they have bullied and harassed a pregnant cleaner – whom they told pregnancy was ‘irrelevant’ to her conditions of work. When she complained about the new disregard for health and safety practices her concerns were ignored.
International Day of Action for London Guildhall Cleaners Demanding a Living Wage
Dominican Republic workers urge Sodexo to rehire wrongfully fired workers
On Monday 7th November at 10am, the cleaners of the prestigious London Guildhall will be holding a noisy and lively protest against their direct employers, Sodexo, and also the City of London Corporation, who control the cleaning contract. Their demands are: dignity and respect at work from management, the reinstatement of victimised union rep Wilmer Cardenas and to receive the London Living Wage which is currently set at £8.30.
There will be other solidarity demonstrations taking place by other cleaners, workers and students in France, Colombia, USA and around the globe protesting about workers’ rights abuses by Sodexo in solidarity with the US based “Kick out Sodexo” campaign. This protest will be the third demonstration staged by Guildhall cleaners this year, whom have been unionised by the IWW, following a period in July where several migrant cleaners had not received weeks of pay and the contracting company Ocean failed to resolve it in a timely manner until successive organised protest demonstrations were held.
Today at 12:30: London South Bank University Cleaners Demonstrating for a Living Wage
From the UNISON website and other Unison sources:
Today is World Day for Decent Work and there is a demonstration at 12:30-1:30 in front of Technopark building, London South Bank University, London Road SE1 6LN (nearest tube Elephant and Castle) as the cleaners are campaigning for the London Living Wage.
“We, the cleaners at London South Bank University are employed by Interserve. We work to keep the university’s buildings and premises clean and free from hazards for all students, staff and visitors. Our contribution is undervalued by Interserve and by London South Bank University. We are in precarious employment, paid only £5.93 p/h (£6.08 p/h from 1 October) and we do not get paid when we are sick and unable to come to work.
World Day for Decent Work is a global occasion for trade unionists to mobilise and show solidarity with poorly paid workers. It is a day when trade unions all over the world stand up for decent work and conditions. We demand that all workers be paid a decent wage – a living wage that will help us live and not just exist.
Guildhall Cleaners are demonstrating for dignity at work this Thursday at 2pm
Demonstrate with the IWW Cleaners for the right for respect at work, this Thursday 25th at The Guildhall, Gresham Street, London EC2V 7HH at 2pm
Imagine a place where managers can:
- Threaten you with violence
- Lock you up for two hours
- Give your job to one of their family
- Always forget black workers for promotion
- Constantly screw up your wages
- Send you to clean the toilets if you complain
- Deny workers basic union representation
- Sack you if you join a union
Cleaners at the City of London who work for Ocean Contract Cleaning have faced these problems and more. As IWW members they have raised complaint after complaint about bullying, management nepotism and abuse. Our union has been reasonable, professional and constructive. But again and again Ocean has said they will deal with the problems, again and again they say they are ‘investigating’. It seems that Ocean is waiting until a TUPE transfer in September to wash their hands of what they have done. IWW say enough is enough—cleaners demand respect at work now— not tomorrow! Read more
Heron Tower Cleaners Fight for the Living Wage
UPDATE – This event has been cancelled due to a victory
Activists supporting cleaners against victimisation and bullying by managers
A statement has just been released by the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW):
IWW – Major Gains at Heron Tower Dispute
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
Solidarity with Juan Carlos Piedra!
People who support migrant cleaners’ struggles in London may well know of Juan Carlos Piedra, an Ecuadorian worker victimised at University College London because of his trade union activism. He has also been active in the solidarity efforts behind UBS bank cleaners in the City of London.
Juan Carlos has been called to an interim hearing for his Employment Tribunal with LCC Services on Tuesday 25th May from 10 am.
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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