Last week Justice For Cleaners activist Alberto was arrested as part of a clear stratergy of victimisation. We publish here with thanks a report by Paul Haste which first appeared in The Morning Star dated 8th May.
JUSTICE for cleaners union activist
Alberto Durango hit back at bosses on Friday for using immigration
raids to "victimise" employees organising their workplace.
Mr Durango, who is a prominent campaigner for migrant workers’ union
rights, was hauled away by police and immigration agents after he
turned up for a meeting with his bosses at the London offices of the
Lancaster Cleaning Company.
The Unite union member, who helped organise other cleaners on
Lancaster’s contract at Schroder’s Bank in the City earlier this year,
was arrested on suspicion of using false documents – despite having
worked for the company for more than 10 years.
Immigration officials and police then raided his home, confiscating
union leaflets and newspapers, before releasing Mr Durango with a
caution.
Speaking to the Morning Star yesterday, Mr Durango insisted that the
company had called in the police "in a clear case of victimisation.
"I had first come to Britain in 1995 and have worked for Lancaster as a cleaner almost since then," he related.
Mr Durango alleged: "The company had no problems with this for many
years, but as I became more involved in the union and helped to
organise the cleaners at Schroder’s Bank – where we even won a pay rise
– Lancaster tried to move me to other contracts."
After helping to organise demonstrations of migrant workers sacked
by another cleaning privateer, Mitie, Mr Durango said that he was
suspended under a clause in his employment contract called "third-party
pressure."
He claimed that "this allows management to stop you working for any reason and they don’t even have to give you a reason."
Lancaster, which was taken over by the huge multinational services
privateer Rentokil Initial in 2007, has many cleaning contracts at
prestigious buildings in London, including the landmark Tower 42 and
Swiss Re buildings.
A spokesman for Rentokil Initial said last night that the company
was looking into what had happened, but Mr Durango insisted that the
police officers who arrested him had already told him that he wouldn’t
have a job to go back to.
"I was told by the police that I’ve lost my job, but I’ve heard nothing from the company," he said.
© Paul Haste 2009
Mitie workers continue to demonstrate each Friday – click here for more about the struggle.
DEMONSTRATION: COME SUPPORT
THE MITIE WORKERS
Every
Friday at 13.00 hours, the cleaners demonstrate in front of the Willis Building,
51 Lime Street EC3 7DQ (tube: Liverpool
Street or Bank).
Please come and support, and bring anything visible (banners etc) and anything
noisy!
Info: Edwin 07931 464 890 or Alberto 07803 634 319 or
Williscleaners4justice@live.co.uk.
Messages of support welcome.
See Mitie Demo video: https://communist.red/cleaners-for-justice.htm
The demonstrations are supported also by Latin American Workers Association,
Schroders bank cleaners, London Coalition Against Poverty, Ecuadorian
Movement in the UK (MERU), Colombia
and Bolivia Solidarity Campaigns, Hands Off Venezuela and more.
Williscleaners4justice@live.co.uk.
