Cleaning staff working at EY (Ernst & Young) sites in London have successfully voted to strike on 15-18 and 20-22 July after being told by subcontractor Mitie that 37% of their jobs would be at risk.
The cleaners, represented by the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB), voted by a margin of 98% to strike, with a 90% turnout.
Cleaners will be picketing at EY offices at 1 More London Place and 25 Churchill Place on the morning of Tuesday 15th July and the afternoon of Wednesday 16th July, with a protest at 1 More London Place at 12pm on Tuesday and a protest at 25 Churchill Place at the same time on Wednesday.
Before the redundancies were announced, cleaners had reported issues of overwork, including some reporting physical health conditions such as arthritis. Cleaners have expressed concerns that their already high workload will be pushed onto a smaller number of staff, exacerbating these issues.
Henry Chango Lopez, IWGB General Secretary said, “Whilst partners at EY take home an average of £723,000 a year, the already overworked cleaning workforce who make just £13.85 an hour are being told that over a third of their jobs are at risk.
These are workers who work intense, anti-social shifts to support their families, often at the detriment of their own health, and are being treated as disposable by massive subcontractors like Mitie who prioritise profits and cost cutting over the lives of human beings.
Instead of trying to intimidate workers out of taking justified strike action, Mitie should be doing everything they can to protect hard working cleaners from losing their livelihoods.”
