University Of London - Outsourced Workers Declare More Strike Action

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• University Of London - Outsourced Workers Declare More Strike Action

15 May 2018 | Updated 18 May 2018

Outsourced university workers have announced yet another round of industrial action.

Organised by the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain (IWGB), over 100 cleaners, porters, security officers, receptionists, gardeners, postroom and audiovisual staff are to go on strike on June 6.

The workers, who are employed by a number of outsourcing companies that have contracts with the University of London central administration, are demanding to be made direct employees of the university and for equal terms and conditions with those that are directly employed.

The action follows two days of strike action in April supported by a healthy rent-a-crowd including Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell MP, Shadow Minister for Labour Laura Pidcock MP and musician Billy Bragg.

Pidcock MP said at the time: “The IWGB campaign is incredible and the picket was certainly the liveliest I’ve been on. I’m convinced they’re on the right side of history and that they’ll win.”

According to the IWGB, outsourced workers receive worse pension, holiday pay, sick pay, maternity pay and paternity pay entitlements than their in-house colleagues.

IWGB President Henry Chango-Lopez said: “Last month we saw the biggest strike of outsourced workers in UK higher education. The message the workers sent the university is clear – they want to be made direct employees with the same terms and conditions as other directly employed staff. As long as the university continues to ignore this call, industrial action will only escalate.”

The strikes are part of the IWGB’s 'Back In-House' campaign, which is calling on the university to end outsourcing, to abolish zero-hours contracts and that it implement pay rises promised six years ago but not delivered.

The IWGB is the largest union at the University of London central administration buildings, which includes Senate House, Stewart House, The Warburg institute, The Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, Student Central, International Hall, College Hall, Connaught Hall, Lilian Penson Hall and Nutford House.

The outsourced workers taking industrial action work for Cordant Security, Cordant Services and Nurture.

A mass protest involving the same rent-a-crowd and students that have previously attened in support of the strike will also be held on  June 6 from 5:30pm.

Picture: University of London workers have announced yet another round of industrial action for June 6. Picture is from a previous strike.

Article written by Brian Shillibeer | Published 15 May 2018

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