Independent Workers Union of Great Britain – Universities of London Branch

We’re raising funds for our ESOL classes – please consider donating at the link below!

In partnership with the SadiqScholarship fund, the IWGB has been providing fully funded classes for our members since July 2016. Our project helps those who too often fall through the cracks: in full-time employment they do not qualify for Government funded classes, yet as low-paid workers they can ill afford private lessons. Working shifts means they cannot commit to a normal class timetable either. Those who have paid for lessons report large class sizes and only around 2 hours of classroom contact hours per week.

ESOL classes at the IWGB are small to promote close observation and interaction with each individual. Classes are held at evenings and weekends to help balance busy work schedules, with 6 hours of classroom time each week. Learning doesn’t just take place in the classroom however, which is why we hold lessons outside in the real world too. Learners have booked restaurants over the phone and visited them as a group, and this summer our learners are going away on a weekend immersion trip to the Cotswolds.

“This English course I have had has been very good and interesting, helping me to learn and improve my written and spoken English. I feel very happy and very fortunate for this great opportunity that I have had” – Maritza, President of the UoL Branch of the IWGB

In just one year the learners have advanced an entire level on the Qualifications and Credit Framework, going from E1 to E2. One learner has commented that the lessons have “given me the opportunity to lose the fear of communicating” and helped “when shopping, travelling and at appointments with my doctor”. Another learner has her eye set on attending university in the UK to study for a role in healthcare. As we move forward, the IWGB is committed to ensuring that these classes continue, supporting members to achieve their full potential. To do this we need your help! With lessons held at the IWGB office we are fortunate not to need to cover room hire costs. We are looking to cover teacher costs of £1200 total for the next term.

https://www.fundsurfer.com/node/1310/embed

Puede que hayan escuchado que a los limpiadores de LSE les dijeron recientemente que iban a ser incorporados como personal interno de la universidad y que, por lo tanto, tendrían los mismos términos y condiciones que otros empleados directos de LSE.

Los limpiadores de SOAS también serán reintegrados como personal interno a más tardar el 2019.

Ser incorporado como personal interno tiene los siguientes beneficios:

• 41 días de vacaciones anuales
• Contribuciones del empleador a la pensión de 13% del salario
• Baja por maternidad (8 semanas paga completa, 16 semanas con la mitad del salario, 15 semanas de Pago Legal por Maternidad y 13 semanas sin pago)
• Baja por paternidad (1 semana paga completa, 1 semana de Pago Legal por Paternidad)
• 6 meses de pago completo por baja por enfermedad y 6 meses de la mitad del salario por baja por enfermedad.

Creemos que no habría ninguna razón para ser tratados de forma diferente a nuestro colegas sólo porque somos trabajadores subcontrados –todos trabajamos en el mismo edificio, y todos deberíamos tener los mismo derechos en el lugar de trabajo.

Podemos ganar esto, pero necesitamos que todos los trabajadores participen! Así que vengan a la reunión

Sábado 29 de julio, 1.30pm, Oficina IWGB

12-20 Baron Street, London N1 9LL (estación Angel)

Miembros y no miembros son bienvenidos.

Si tienen preguntas, por favor envíen un email a henrychangolopez@iwgb.co.uk

Just a quick note to say please make sure to attend the branch meeting this Friday – we’ll be talking about security officers, the UoLIA review(s), and our plans to hire a campaign organiser for the branch!

Most importantly, we will be talking about asbestos – following a meeting of maintenance workers, porters and life guards today it has become clear that the University’s handling of the issue is inadequate, and as a result the IWGB will be escalating our complaints regarding this.

For more information contact dannymillum@iwgb.org.uk or better still – come to the meeting!

Here’s a report from Electoral Reform Services on the outcome of the election to the post of University of London Branch Chair. Maritza was elected, with 42 votes ahead of Wilson’s 25. Thanks to both candidates, and to everyone who voted!

The original ERS report: Final Report of Voting 1907

A Spanish translation: Report of voting_Informe electoral

Jason Moyer-Lee has written a scathing criticism of the Taylor Review for the Guardian. Highlights include:

“Wishy-washy and full of fluff”

“Fell far short of expectations”

“An inaccurate understanding of the law as it currently stands”

“Full of vacuous fluff and light on substantive proposals”

“Little burden on employers, and no tangible impact on workers”

“No remedy if the employer says no”

“Some truly horrendous ideas”

“A damp squib, largely devoid of useful substance”

“This review has woefully under-delivered”

You can read it here:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jul/18/taylor-review-gig-economy-workers

Following the concerns that IWGB raised around asbestos in university buildings, UoL is holding a meeting for staff to discuss the action the university has taken. You can read about it here (text copied below): https://uolonline.sharepoint.com/news/Pages/Asbestos-in-University-Buildings

As you may be aware, access to some areas of the University of London
estate has been restricted since late 2016 following the unexpected
discovery of some asbestos fibres.  A briefing was held in December 2016
with the small number of individuals who may have undertaken maintenance
work within some of these areas and a communication was circulated to all
University of London staff in March of this year.

The University has arranged for a follow-up briefing to take place on
Thursday 20th July (full details listed below), which will be open to
University of London staff and the relevant members of staff at Bouygues.
At this briefing the University will be providing a re-cap on the impact of
the findings, an update on surveys and confirmation of the actions that the
University has taken since the last briefing.

The briefing will be delivered by Mr Martin Stear, BSc DipOH CFFOH,
Chartered Occupational Hygienist, in conjunction with members of staff from
Property and Facilities Management.  Information on Martin’s experience and
expertise can be found here
<http://www.healthsafetyspecialists.co.uk/index.php/about-wes-the-health-and
-safety-specialists> .

Timing: There will be two briefing sessions held on Thursday morning at
10am and 11am.

If you would like to attend one of these sessions, please email Emilie
Ernoult (emilie.ernoult@london.ac.uk) to confirm which session you would
like to attend.

Location details:   N301 (Senate House – North Block).

(Please email any questions that you would like to be covered to Emilie in
advance of the briefing, to ensure that sufficient time is allocated to
cover these).

Asbestos in University Buildings – 1:1 appointments with Martin Stear

In addition to the morning briefing sessions, Martin will be available for
pre-bookable 1:1 appointments on the afternoon of Thursday 20th June.
Appointments will last approximately 20 minutes in duration and will be
available from 1pm – 4.30pm.  If you wish to book an appointment, please
email Emilie Ernoult (emilie.ernoult@london.ac.uk​ in order to arrange this.

Fourteen IWGB members have signed the IWGB’s response to the Taylor Review on Modern Employment Practices, calling for much needed improvements to the Review across 3 main areas:

The law, which was misrepresented by the Review failing to recognise that not only are workers already self-employed under employment law but that workers already have rights to minimum wage, holiday pay and others. The combination of rights and flexibility that Taylor seeks to achieve is already accessible to workers.

The process, where the Review has many unanswered questions, notably relating to early Deliveroo investor Greg Marsh, corporate solicitor Diane Nicol and the mind-boggling exclusion of any worker or trade union representative.

The Report, which was deeply disappointing. Most of the proposals are so vague they are next to meaningless and some of the substantial suggestions, such as the suggested changes to the minimum wage for workers in the so called “gig economy”

You can read the full response on the main IWGB website.

IWGB has been in the press a lot due to the release of the Taylor Review (Good Work: The Taylor Review into Modern Working Practices). We’ve got some opinions about it, to say the least! Here is just some of the press coverage from the last few days!

The Daily Mail, surprisingly, took a dim view of our participation in the debate:

÷BBC and Sky News presented members of the hard-Left Independent Workers Union of Great Britain as ordinary workers in coverage of the review yesterday.

Ben Geraghty appeared on Sky with the caption ‘Deliveroo driver’. He was described as an IWGB organiser when he wrote for the Financial Times in 2016.

The BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire programme spoke to Megan Brown, a ‘courier for a food delivery company’. She was described as chairman of the courier branch of the IWGB by Buzzfeed in May.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4687412/Middle-class-families-told-not-cash.html

They aren’t “ordinary workers”, they are extraordinary workers!

On Deliveroo investor and panel member Greg Marsh:

https://www.ft.com/content/95392a68-6596-11e7-8526-7b38dcaef614

http://uk.businessinsider.com/onefinestay-founder-greg-marsh-deliveroo-investor-gig-economy-2017-7

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/matthew-taylor-report-unions-slam-review-which-spectacularly-fails-a7835191.html

https://leftfootforward.org/2017/07/we-need-a-review-into-the-gig-economy-led-by-the-workers-themselves/

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/jul/11/may-relaunches-premiership-with-new-protections-for-gig-economy-workers

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/business/news/government-review-into-gig-economy-employment-rights-branded-feeble-35912359.html

http://www.alphr.com/politics/1006279/taylor-report-calls-for-protections-for-gig-economy-workers

http://www.edp24.co.uk/business/matthew-taylor-review-union-leaders-disappointed-by-missed-opportunity-1-5100574

https://www.digitallook.com/news/general-news/report-into-uk-gig-economy-slammed-as-wasted-opportunity–2763199.html

Other reactions with IWGB comments:

https://www.ft.com/content/89fd7738-658e-11e7-8526-7b38dcaef614

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/taylor-review-gig-economy-workers_uk_5963692be4b0d5b458ebc1e5

https://www.metro.news/gig-economy-firms-let-off-in-shake-up/670627/

http://www.eastlothiancourier.com/news/15400874.Gig_economy_firms_being____let_off_the_hook_____unions_claim_ahead_of_new_report/

http://clicklancashire.com/2017/07/11/gig-economy-firms-let-off-in-shake-up.html

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/business/business-news/gig-economy-workers-set-down-13309203

http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/national/15400874.Gig_economy_firms_being____let_off_the_hook_____unions_claim_ahead_of_new_report/

http://home.bt.com/news/uk-news/gig-economy-firms-being-let-off-the-hook-unions-claim-ahead-of-new-report-11364194777061

On Deliveroo’s claims earlier this week:

https://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/a-c0fd-Deliveroo-legislation-plea-is-a-bogus-excuse-for-inaction,-say-unions#.WWXIVumQw2w

http://thenational.scot/business/15398253.Deliveroo_calls_for_work_law_changes/

On Jason’s appearance at the Resolution Foundation:

http://www.recruiter.co.uk/news/2017/07/resolution-foundation-sets-out-its-nmw-proposal

A BIG THANK YOU to everyone who was running around town the last few days, going from television channel to television channel, from radio to radio!

Dear Mr Lee

Re: outsourcing of cleaners at the London School of Hygiene and Medicine (LSHTM)

We are writing to condemn in the strongest possible terms your decision to outsource the cleaning staff at the LSHTM to the private company Regent Samsic, which, we understand, will come into effect from 1 August 2017.

Our two unions, the IWGB and United Voices of the World (UVW), represent hundreds of cleaners, porters security guards and other outsourced staff across the University of London including at the LSHTM.

Our opposition to this decision is informed by the experiences of our members who suffer and endure the inequality and exploitation that outsourcing inevitably introduces and enables.

We have fought effective campaigns to demand and achieve equal pay and terms conditions for outsourced staff including at Senate House and, most recently, at the London School of Economics (LSE) where management have agreed to bring all the cleaners in-house from spring 2018.

The decision to outsource the cleaning staff at the LSHTM is a profoundly regressive step. No doubt the intention of this move is to save money. This is hugely misguided: quite apart from the fact that it is completely immoral to seek to save money off the backs of the School’s lowest paid workers, this decision flies in the face of all the evidence which shows that outsourcing does not lead to overall cost savings and leads to a reduction in the quality of services. A QMUL report produced after they brought their cleaners back in-house stated: ‘As might be expected, a good number of the staff working at QMUL (about a third) reported noticing improvements in the cleaning service since the move back in-house, but many more (almost three quarters) reported that they supported the  decision itself. Many reported feeling that the decision to pay a living wage and bring the service in-house was the right thing to do, enhancing the reputation of the College as a good employer (Wills et al. 2009:21-22). If savings and economies of scale are being sought, then not having to pay VAT (20%) plus outsourcing company profits (typically 10-15%) should far outweigh any additional pension or payroll costs.

In light of this, we now call on you to do the sensible and moral thing and immediately cancel this contract, and ensure that all the cleaners retain their direct employee status.

We will be offering our full support to the workers affected by this, and will remain vigilant to ensure that the rights guaranteed under TUPE (Transfer of Undertakings- Protection of Employment) are applied correctly to all transferred workers. We will also be supporting the campaign against this immoral and unjust act and will continue to do everything in our power to highlight its consequences.

Make no mistake: this reckless act means that the School is now profoundly at odds with the climate of opinion across the University of London, where trade unions and student and staff-led campaigns are forcing management to row back on outsourcing and the inequality it breeds. We urge you to reconsider before you move forward with this misguided and unprincipled decision.

Yours,

Jason Moyer Lee (General Secretary, IWGB)

Henry Chango Lopez (President, IWGB)

Danny Millum (Branch Secretary, University of London IWGB)

Petros Elia (General Secretary, UVW)

Percy Yunganina (President, UVW)