SOAS cleaners have been brought in-house after a 12 year long battle. Joana Ramiro reports.
Cleaners at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) celebrated their first day as in-house workers yesterday, following a 12 year battle for better pay and conditions.
The long-fought campaign to bring the cleaners in-house has been hailed as an example to other workers’, and a leap in the fight against private contractors such as service giants Elio and Bouygues.
In a statement, the Justice for Cleaners campaign said on Wednesday:
“Today represents the consolidation of the dream, which perhaps at first seemed a distant vision, to be contracted directly by SOAS. This dream would not have been possible without the persevering struggle, of those who for a long time decided to face an oppressive administration.”
Cleaners at SOAS – which is part of the University of London (UoL) – will now enjoy better working terms and have workers’ rights suspended during their outsourced period. The cleaning staff have also noted that they will now be able to apply for training opportunities they could not have done while working for private companies.
The SOAS cleaners’ struggle became infamous when in 2009 the cleaning company outsourced by the college, ISS, colluded with immigration services and tricked staff into a raid. The cleaners, many of whom are South American nationals, were told there was an emergency staff meeting in the college, only to be confronted with immigration officers and a line of questioning. Nine members of staff, including a heavily pregnant woman, were detained or immediately deported.
Justice for Cleaners added in their statement:
“We will not forget the cruel and inhuman treatment to which one morning our comrades and colleagues were subjected when they were besieged and handcuffed by migration police and nine cleaners were deported.”
Their victory is now being hailed as an example for other university cleaners, including those battling for further rights at fellow UoL campus, Goldsmiths.
Campaigners from other universities, cleaners’ struggles and trade unions were also swift to send their congratulations to the celebrating SOAS staff.
Joana Ramiro is a reporter for Left Foot Forward. You can follow her on Twitter for all sorts of rants here.
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