No victimisation of 3 Cosas workers

Submitted by Matthew on 5 February, 2014 - 12:38

On 27, 28 and 29 January, outsourced workers at the University of London took strike action for equal sick pay, holidays and pensions.

They were also demanding that the employer recognise the IWGB and offer protection against job losses at the Garden Halls of residence near King’s Cross.

Despite the University claiming that the action had “minimal impact”, the strike was solid and gained strong support from students and wider activists.

On all three mornings, picket lines caused considerable disruption to deliveries to Senate House. There were reports of directly-employed staff working off-site or from home in order to respect the picket lines.

On the second day, workers boarded a vintage open-top bus draped in banners bearing the demands of the strike.

It visited a number of sites including the halls, the Royal Opera House where IWGB cleaners have just been granted the Living Wage, and Parliament, where the strikers were met by left-wing Labour MPs John McDonnell and Jeremy Corbyn.

The final visit was to the Islington office of Cofely GDF-Suez, the company which has recently taken over the outsourced contract at University of London from Balfour Beatty Workplace.

Two University of London cleaners are facing possible victimisation for their involvement in the 27-29 January strikes to win equal sick pay, holidays, and pensions (part of the ongoing “3 Cosas” campaign).

In a letter signed by “cleaning services manager” Sharon Bracey (who is, somewhat obscenely, also a rep for Unison, a union with very few members amongst University of London cleaners but which retains official recognition with management), the workers are summoned to a meeting to discuss their involvement in the strike at a time when they had allegedly booked on to work.

Although the letter says the “fact-finding meeting” is not a disciplinary, it states that it is “part of the company’s disciplinary process”. (“The company” refers to Cofely-GDF Suez, the company which recently took over the contract for outsourced cleaning services from Balfour Beatty Workplace.)

The workers’ union, the IWGB, has said it will not tolerate any victimisation of its members for their involvement in the strike.

• The 3 Cosas Campaign and National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts are co-organising a speaker tour to build support. Email Daniel Cooper

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