Low-paid workers protest at UCL ’s ‘callous’ employment system

Hundreds of UCL cleaners, porters, security officers and catering staff will demand their outsourced jobs be returned to the university, so workers doing the same jobs receive the same pay, pension and annual leave, says UNISON today (Thursday). This afternoon (from 1pm to 3pm) support staff from across UCL will gather outside the university’s main entrance to draw attention to the campaign for their jobs to be taken back in-house. UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis will be there to hear how UCL’s outsourcing programme has affected their lives and to address the workers in the UCL Quad at 1.30pm. The 900 staff – among the lowest paid at the university – have had their roles contracted out to a string of private companies in recent years, as part of the university’s cost-cutting programme. Sodexo and Axis currently hold the current cleaning, catering and security contracts. UCL’s outsourced workers receive lower pay, don’t qualify for sick pay, are not paid overtime, have fewer paid holidays and an inferior pensions plan compared to colleagues directly employed by the university, says UNISON. London universities including the School of African and Oriental Studies (SOAS), King’s College London, London School of Economics (LSE), and Goldsmith’s have all recently agreed to return to directly employing their cleaning, security and catering staff. UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis said: “Endless outsourcing and privatising key contracts across the univ...
Source: UNISON Health care news - Category: UK Health Authors: Tags: News Press release dave prentis education Greater London UCL university Source Type: news