Outsourced workers at the University of London are keeping up the pressure on management as part of their â3 Cosasâ campaign to win pensions, holiday, and sick pay equality with their directly employed colleagues.
An unannounced demonstration disrupted a conference in the universityâs flagship Senate House building on 28 June, and while some attendees were angry at the disruption, many expressed support for the workers. Demonstrators briefly blocked the doors to Vice Chancellor Adrian Smithâs office.
The âJustice for Cleanersâ campaign at SOAS, one of the University of Londonâs member colleges, also plans a protest for Thursday 4 July. Speaking at Workersâ Libertyâs Ideas for Freedom event, SOASâcleaner Lenin Escudero Zarsoza said:ââBefore we started our campaign, we felt invisible. Look at us now. Now we feel like human beings.â
London Underground cleaners have expanded their union organisation following managementâs use of immigration raids to attempt to break organisation amongst cleaners employed by ISS. A cleanersâ rep writing in the rank-and-file bulletin Tubeworker said: âISS used immigration law to crush a potential strike, but ISS has not succeeded in kicking the fight out of cleaners. [Bosses] hoped newly-employed workers would be cowed by fear, but most have eagerly joined RMT after seeing you canât stand alone against such a brutal management [âŠ] Once the bosses learn that we canât be intimidated, they will have nowhere to hide.â
Industrial Workers of the World cleaners at the British Medical Associationâs HQ have also taken a step forward.
A motion to back their campaign demands was discussed at the BMAâs Annual Representative Meeting, and will now be discussed by the BMA Council.
