sonianewby Sonia Chura, University of London cleaner and Vice-Chair of the University of London Branch of the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB)

On Thursday, 26 September, the general secretary of my union sent a letter to Balfour Beatty Workplace, the company that does the cleaning, security, and maintenance at the University of London’s central administration and halls of residence. The letter contained three demands, and notified that failing progress on these demands the union would be balloting its members for industrial action. In other words, the University of London’s outsourced workers will be going on strike.

This means that for a period of time this semester, University of London halls of residence and the Senate House library will not be cleaned, chairs, desks and rooms will not be arranged, mail won’t be sorted, and the buildings might have to survive with less maintenance and security guard personnel. In addition to causing major disruptions to the University’s daily functioning, the strike will also likely attract national media attention thereby sullying the University of London’s good name. Given that strikes are often considered a last resort, you may be curious to know how we have gotten to this point. As the Vice-Chair of the University of London branch of the IWGB- the largest union among outsourced workers at the University- I will attempt to explain.

Read the full article here – Why We Will Strike