Our next branch meeting is taking place this Friday 24 February in the IHR
Mezzanine, 3rd Floor Senate House at 12.30.
Amongst other things, we will be discussing:
* Security guards strike update
* Aramark
* Asbestos update
Category: News
English classes have started up again. They will run on Saturday, with a drop-in class that everyone is welcome to attend,, and an ESOL 2 class. Please contact our education officer Andres if you want to find out more: andressaenz@iwgb.co.uk
Las clases de inglés han comenzado de nuevo. Ellos correrán el sábado, con una clase que todos están bienvenidos y una clase ESOL 2. Póngase en contacto con nuestro oficial de educación, Andres, si desea obtener más información: andressaenz@iwgb.co.uk
IWGB met with Cordant representatives on Monday 20 February. As Danny reports:
The IWGB presented three demands to Cordant. It was promised that the first two would be resolved:
- With regard to payslips, it was agreed that Danny would liaise with John Preston, to ensure all staff were receiving payslips with a full breakdown of hours, overtime hours etc.
- With regard to zero-hour contracts, it was agreed that Danny would provide to John Preston a list of staff who were on contracts that did not reflect their hours, and that these would then be resolved.
All members currently on zero-hour contracts, or who would like to have a contract which reflects their hours properly should contact Abdul as soon as possible!
The third demand has not yet been met:
- With regard to pay, the IWGB position was that differentials should be restored to their 2011 levels.
The union has provided a deadline of Friday 24 February at 5pm. If we have not received an offer along these lines, or an invitation to a serious negotiation with Cordant and the University about these issues, we will start the procedures to ballot for a strike.
Matthew Taylor is looking into the gig economy on behalf of the government – and our General Secretary Jason Moyer-Lee has given him some pointers in today’s Guardian:
Many more UoL security officers have now joined the IWGB following last week’s meeting over pay, at which the prospect of strike action was raised and wholeheartedly endorsed.
Security officers have seen their pay differentials vastly eroded over the last six years, from nearly two pounds above the UoL minimum in 2011 to just 19 pence in 2017.
IWGB officials and security guard reps are scheduled to meet with bosses from security contractor Cordant on Monday 20 February, and intend to make the following demands:
- That differentials be restored to 2011 levels (by our calculations this would mean an hourly rate of just over £12)
- That zero-hour and so-called 365 hour (per year!) contracts be abolished
- That proper payslips showing a clear breakdown of hours worked and overtime be provided.
Please do get in touch with dannymillum@iwgb.org.uk or abdul.bakhsh@outlook.com for more information.
BREAKING NEWS! Since this article was published this morning the University of London have been in touch with the IWGB with partial answers to the issues raised. Get in touch (uol@iwgb.org.uk) if you want more details!
IWGB members working in the maintenance team are to launch a formal collective grievance against the University and its contractor Bouygues following a series of failings relating to the re-discovery of asbestos across the University of London site.
The site had been declared asbestos-free following a series of previous scandals, most recently in 2002-3 at the then Institute of Germanic Studies.
However, it recently transpired that these tests had not been carried out properly, and that areas which had been declared safe were in fact contaminated.
Staff who have been working in those areas are understandably extremely concerned as to the danger they might have been exposed to. However, despite the gravity of the situation, the University has thus far only provided vague and generic assurances that the asbestos is now being cleared, and that the risks were minimal.
Meanwhile:
- The University has refused to confirm that an investigation will be conducted into how areas were declared safe when the asbestos had not been removed
- Staff are still being pressured to go into affected areas without adequate training or protective clothing
- The University has refused to release the detailed sample reports from the most recent surveys
- The University has failed to address a series of detailed questions on this issue submitted by the affected staff in December
- The University has failed to inform other potentially affected staff, visitors, or residents at the its Halls of Residence, of these ongoing asbestos risks
As such the IWGB, who represent maintenance workers at the University, will be submitting a formal grievance this week, and pressing, among other things, for a full formal enquiry.
Please feel free to get in touch with any concerns via uol@iwgb.org.uk.
The IWGB has been given a grant of £10,000 from the London Legal Support Trust (LLST), to help support the activities of our Legal Department, and as part of the process of becoming an accredited LLST Centre of Excellence. As well as an ongoing independent review of our activities, this will allow us to access more advice and support from the Trust and apply for further funding.
Watch this space for more info!
Radio Free Brighton’s Davy Jones podcast this week featured Tim, a Deliveroo rider, and our General Secretary, Jason Moyer-Lee: https://www.mixcloud.com/RadioFreeBrighton/rfb-davy-jones-interviews-tim-a-local-deliveroo-rider-and-jason-from-the-iwgb-about-deliveroo/
And the BBC has produced this handy explainer on the gig economy and what it means for workers in different industries: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-38930048
Yesterday IWGB Treasurer Danny Millum wrote to Kim Frost, raising issues around cleaners’ contracts and the University’s negotiations with Cordant. The text of the email is below, with an example zero-hours contract letter. We look forward to his swift response…
9 February 2017
Dear Kim
I am writing on behalf of cleaning staff working for the contractor Cordant to bring to the University of London’s attention serious failings with the way certain aspects of the contract are being handled.
Shortly after Cordant took over, a number of permanent cleaning positions were advertised internally, and various cleaners applied for these, and were interviewed.
These posts were of great importance – many of those applying work just three hours a day, and these extra hours would have allowed them to earn closer to a full-time salary while remaining in the same workplace.
However, following the interviews:
- no appointments were made
- no outcome was provided to any of the applicants
- despite numerous enquiries, no explanation was provided as to why the appointment process had been suspended
- following union intervention, Cordant stated in September that the process had been halted while a revaluation of the contract was done, but that this would be resolved shortly
- instead these posts continued to be filled by temporary summer staff, who had never applied for the positions or been interviewed, but whose contracts were extended beyond the normal September cutoff point
- following numerous other requests for information, the employees eventually filed a collective grievance on the 13 December, which was not heard until the 16 January, and for which an outcome was only provided today, on the 9 February
- the outcome gave no detail, but merely stated that negotations were ongoing bewteen the University of London and Cordant, and that no timescale could be given
- in the meantime, despite assurances to the contrary, temporary staff are now being issued with zero-hour contracts (see attached) while they continue to fill these posts.
We have been given no option but to bring this matter to the University’s attention, and ask:
- Is the University aware that its contractor has left staff who attended interviews in good faith for nearly a year with no outcome?
- Is the University aware that its contractor (until forced to do so by a formal grievance) failed to respond to staff requests for information for months on end?
- Is the University aware that its contractor is now employing staff on zero-hour contracts?
- Is the University aware that its contractor is claiming that negotiations over the contract have taken over ten months – and are still not resolved?
- Is the University aware that the consequence of this has meant that a significant number of permanent cleaning positions have been left unfilled for over ten months – with the work being done instead by temporary staff who were not required to interview?
- It cannot be the case that resolving the hours required on this contract should take so long – either Cordant or the University are responsible for this. Which is it?
The affected cleaners feel extremely disrespected and poorly treated – they simply wish for these posts to be awarded fairly to those who originally interviewed for them.
They are in the process of appealing the decision, and considering legal action. In the meantime, we would ask the University to clarify the contract, and compel its contractor to fulfil its obligations to staff. In addition, if it turns out that the University is condoning the use of zero-hour contracts by Cordant, we will be calling attention to this by all means possible.
If you could respond to this as soon as possible that would be much appreciated.
Best wishes,
Danny Millum
Treasurer
IWGB
Independent Workers Union of Great Britain - Universities of London Branch 