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Cleaners employed by the company BMS have now been out on strike for over 7 weeks. The dispute involves the company`s attempts to reduce costs on the contract from 9.8m Euros to 7.1m. The impact of this on the already low paid workers is a 40% cut in their wagesa and conditions. When the union moved to oppose these cuts the comapny identified the two trade union reps and tried to victimise them, making allegation sagainst them concerning the employment of agancy staff. The strike began in defence of the elected shop stewards, Said and Abdul. The dispute has attracted solidarity from across Belgium with many visitors to th epicket line. The Cleaners are employed to clean out railway wagons and remove graffiti.

The employers had used temporary and agency workers to scab on the dispute but the union successfully won a court battle to have thios stopped. The workers are determined to see this out and despite false allegations made against their elected shop stewards are determined to defend them.

The two shop stewards attended the meeting of the ISS Shop Stewards Network where the delegates collected 180 Euros for the picket line and agreed to raise the dispute with their own unions. They are pictured with UNI Officials Anna Harvey and Nigel Flanagan