Login
PCS one of the UK^s largest unions has announced a ballot for strike action by its Property Services members. This will mean strike action taking place on International Justice Day for Cleaners and action against Mitie, the UK cleaning Company, who are already subject to strike action by Cleaners at Manchester Airport.
Security staff, FM workers and cleaners working for multinational firms G4S and Mitie on the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) contract are being balloted for industrial action in a dispute over low pay.
The workers all members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union PCS have seen their pay rates fall behind prices resulting in pay cuts in real terms and their living standards suffer, despite the total value of the contracts believed to be over £500 million.
The ballots which close on 3 June could see these workers co-ordinating industrial action with other court workers leading to the wholesale closure of courts and tribunals across England and Wales.
A PCS spokesperson said “The public sector spends billions through procurement with the private sector, with a concentration on low paid workers providing facilities management, security and cleaning.”
“These companies have maximised their profits by paying the lowest legal amount payable and have failed to address the reasonable demands within our last pay claim, including; ensuring that all members do not take a pay cut in real terms and that our lowest paid colleagues receive the Living Wage – currently £8.55 per hour in London and £7.45 per hour elsewhere.”
“G4S and Mitie alongside other private-sector companies receive millions of pounds from government contracts. We believe the Living Wage should be a mandatory part of government pay policy – applicable to all directly employed public-sector workers and to any worker sub-contracted to the private sector.”