The scourge of outsourcing has become more prevalent in higher education (HE) institutions, as university bosses try to cut costs at workers’ expense.
City University in London is no exception, hiring its cleaners through the agency Julius Rutherfoord & Co. But these workers are organising and fighting back.
On 1 October, in solidarity, RCP members joined a rally against the exploitative practices of City Uni, which refuses to bring a crucial part of its staff in-house.
The City cleaners are organised in two unions: the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB), a grassroots member-led union; and Unison, the biggest public sector union in the country.
The two unions have come together to campaign against outsourcing, uniting the workforce in struggle.
At the rally, we spoke with Taysiu Paz Perez Aciego, one of the cleaners and IWGB members who was leading the protest.
She explained how this was a long-running dispute, with workers pushing to be brought in-house and receive a proper wage increase – inline with the London living wage – since March 2022. And yet nothing has changed since.
Worse still, Taysiu told us, “ever since the new management arrived at this university, we have not received 100 percent of our salary”.
And adding insult to injury, the employers overwork them and deny them basic rights. “We really cannot get sick, otherwise we face disciplinary measures,” Taysiu added. “It’s crazy, right?”
Without the cleaners’ essential work, the university would not function. They deserve the same rights, benefits, and dignity afforded to those who are directly employed by the university. As Taysiu said: “We are part of City University.”
Solidarity with the City cleaners! End outsourcing! Kick the profiteers off campus! Workers and students: unite and fight!
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KCL: Security guards stand up!
Bermondsey Communists
Back in July, Bermondsey Communists heard that security staff at King’s College London (KCL) would no longer have access to chairs or sheltered cabins to rest during their long shifts.
Since then, security staff with medical conditions have been sent home by their manager for being seen lying against walls. Staff with medical exemptions have been allowed a chair, but are then refused overtime requests.
This is nothing short of bullying. We immediately decided to produce a leaflet explaining why the measures are not only completely unjust, but also put the workers’ health at risk. We called for the new measures to be scrapped, alongside a reduction in shift duration and improved pay.
We explained that KCL has the money to pay for this. But it is hoarded up at the top, and used to collaborate with companies complicit in war crimes.
After distributing the leaflet, we found security staff who helped us reach out to dozens more. An open meeting was quickly organised with representatives from the union and security staff team, giving them an opportunity to discuss how to take the fight forward.
The mood was one of great frustration and anger, but also of relief at seeing the early signs of an organised pushback. Several security staff present at the meeting explained that until then, many of their co-workers had suffered in isolation.
It was unanimously agreed to organise a protest on KCL campus ahead of a scheduled appeal hearing. This is planned for later in October.
In the meantime, local RCP members will agitate to build as much solidarity as possible from students and other university staff.
There’s much more to come. But the lesson here is to keep an eye out for workplace disputes in your local community. Lend your support to help workers get organised against the bosses!
Why is King’s Management still refusing to treat our hard-working security guards with respect and dignity? Why are security officers being forced to stand for 12 hours with no access to seats? Why are they being locked out of their cabins and forced to stand in the rain?
— KCL UNISON (@KCLUnison) August 22, 2024
