Independent Workers Union of Great Britain – Universities of London Branch

With the next strike of outsourced workers at the University of London due on the 27, 28 and 29 of January the IWGB is appealing to all sympathetic union branches to pass a motion supporting the strike and to donate to our strike fund.

Any donations can be made either through paypal or by contacting Daniel Cooper at dancooper13@hotmail.com.

Many thanks for your solidarity! Here follows the suggested model motion:

This branch notes

1. The ongoing “3 Cosas” campaign by outsourced workers at University
of London for equal rights with directly employed workers in terms of
sick pay, holidays and pensions, and recognition of their union IWGB.
2. That their first official strike action in November last year won
major concessions on sick pay and holidays, and they are now striking
again on 27-29 January.

This branch resolves

1. To support and promote the 3 Cosas campaign.
2. To donate £100 to their strike fund and organise a collection.
3. To send a delegation to their picket lines at the end of the month.
4. To seek to organise an educational/fundraising event with a 3 Cosas
speaker, working with local community organisations.

All members are encouraged to come to the IWGB branch meeting on Friday, which will take place at 1pm at ULU in room 2E.

We will be discussing the new contracts, the next BBW strike action and the University of London pay dispute.

The outsourced workers responsible for the cleaning, security, and maintenance at the central University of London are preparing for the next stage of their strike action, which will take place on Monday 27 January, Tuesday 28 January and Wednesday 29 January 2014.

External support for last year’s strike action was CRUCIAL in making it a massive and unprecedented success. There was a great turnout of workers, and huge student support on the picket line on both days.

Following the strike, the contractor(then Balfour Beatty Workplace, now Cofely) issued new contracts which offer improved holiday and sick pay conditions. However, they have still refused to talk to the IWGBs about any of the issues raised.

The IWGB is determined to continue until we have achieved all our demands, which remain:

Our first demand is that our employer, Balfour Beatty / Cofely, recognise our union (the IWGB) so that we can set up proper formal negotiations. Despite the fact that we are the biggest union among outsourced workers on campus, and we are a legally registered union, Balfour Beatty / Cofely and the University of London refuse to recognise us.

Our second demand is that we be entitled to the same sick pay, holidays, and pensions as our colleagues who work directly for the University. Despite the improvements offered, we are still a long way from full equality, especially regarding pensions.

Finally, the University of London has plans to close the Garden Halls (of residence) next summer. We want workers in these halls to be given priority when vacancies arise elsewhere in the University, and for longer-serving staff to be considered first.

This is a logical, common-sense, fair, and relatively cost-free approach to dealing with the upcoming redundancies. However, once again, Balfour Beatty has refused to engage.

Despite the massive turnout for the first strike, the announcement of further strike dates, and our repeated offers of negotiations via ACAS, the company have refused to engage with us in any serious way.

As a result we are prepared to make further sacrifices, and to undertake a THREE-DAY STRIKE!

We need your support more than ever!

Please donate to the strike fund – as low-paid workers already on the breadline, we will inevitably be affected more than most by the loss of earnings which a strike entails. By clicking this button and donating via Pay Pal you can make a massive contribution to the success of the campaign as it enters a critical phase.

For over a year, workers at the University of London have been fighting through their 3 Cosas Campaign – to ensure equality of terms and conditions between the University of London’s direct employees, and its outsourced workers (many of whom are vulnerable migrant workers who speak little English).

There are three areas (‘tres cosas’) where the disparity between University and contract workers is greatest – SICK PAY, HOLIDAYS and PENSIONS.

The campaign aims to persuade the University to ensure that all workers have the same rights in these three areas. It is eminently affordable, and it is the only right thing to do.

The campaign has garnered huge support from MPs, unions, student groups, and human rights organisations. It has put pressure on the University and its contractors through petitions and letter-writing campaigns, and supported demonstrations and marches. Recently the workers undertook a historic 2-day strike, which saw the biggest picket-line turnout in living memory at the University of London. Concessions have been announced, a clear indication that the pressure is paying off, but these fall well short of the equal treatment that the outsourced workers deserve, and the University and its contractors are still refusing to negotiate with the workers themselves (despite numerous overtures) or address the issue of job cuts which seem set to target those most heavily involved in the campaign.

The campaign has announced further strike dates for the end of January, and your support is now crucial for the final push of the campaign – to secure equal rights and proper representation for these previously marginalised workers. Please sign the petition to University of London Vice-Chancellor Professor Sir Adrian Smith and help secure a victory which will pave the way for the just treatment of workers across the Higher Education sector and London as a whole.

https://you.38degrees.org.uk/p/3Cosas

To the Fellow Workers of the 3 Cosas Campaign: the London General Branch of the IWW extends its warmest congratulations to you as you enjoy your increased rights in regards to sick pay and allocation of holidays, as a result of your exemplary struggle and campaign. We wish you full success in your endeavour to achieve pensions on the basis of equality with the permanent staff at the University of London. We are confident of your ability to accomplish this goal despite the opposition and we stand in full solidarity with you in your ongoing struggle.

Read the full letter here.

IWGB University of London Branch Secretary Jason Moyer-Lee has written a comprehensive response to the various misinformation on the workers’ strike emanating from the University of London, Balfour Beatty Workplace, and UNISON London Region management.

Read the full piece here.

The 3 Cosas Campaign sends its full solidarity to the #copsoffcampus national day of action on Wednesday 11 December.

At the University of London, the management has responded in an increasingly authoritarian manner to campus protests and labour disputes over the last year.

The University has filmed staff and students taking part in demonstrations in support of the 3 Cosas Campaign, and an activist was arrested in July for chalking slogans in favour of sick pay, holiday pay and pensions for all workers at the University.

The police presence on Bloomsbury campuses has become progressively more visible, creating an intimidating atmosphere, both on protests and more generally.

The freedom to assemble and demonstrate on campus without harassment or violence from the state is fundamental. The labour movement and the oppressed have the most interest in these freedoms and must stand together to defend them

The students who have suffered arrest and physical violence at the hands of the police have been amongst the most steadfast supporters of the 3Cosas Campaign and the Higher and Further Education strikes over pay.

We stand together in solidarity with students in demanding cops off campus and in defending the right to protest.

Students and workers united will never be defeated!

The IWGB University of London branch has given notice to BBW of 3 more days of industrial action, to take place on the 27, 28 and 29 January 2014.

Last month’s historic strike produced a major victory for the outsourced workers’ campaign. Thanks to a great display of solidarity during the strike, a magnificent and unprecedented picket line, and huge support from the wider community, BBW immediately announced concessions over holiday and sick pay conditions (though these are still not in line with those received by directly employed workers).

However, rather than negotiate directly with the IWGB, BBW instead agreed a deal with UNISON, which ignored workers’ demands for a proper pension, and for safeguards for the jobs of the Garden Halls workers.

It is obviously deeply disappointing that the IWGB, by far the largest union among BBW employees, was not been consulted regarding these proposals, and obviously any agreements made on behalf of workers by a union which does not represent them are meaningless. Members decided unanimously at an emergency branch meeting to continue to take strike action until all their demands were met.

Branch Chair Henry Chango Lopez said that the company had left his union with no option, and stated: ‘I can only stress again our (and ACAS’s) bewilderment at BBW’s failure thus far to negotiate with us on any of these issues AND to reiterate our willingness to participate fully in meaningful talks to resolve this dispute’.

STOP PRESS: Thanks to thousands of pounds of donations to the strike fund, all workers will be fully compensated for wages lost in the strike action on 27 and 28 November. Please come to the IWGB office in ULU on Monday 16 / Tuesday 17 December to claim your compensation, or contact Branch Secretary Jason Moyer-Lee (JasonMoyer-Lee@iwgb.org.uk / 07771783094).

PLEASE HELP! With more strikes announced, we desperately need to continue to raise money for the strike fund! Please donate here if you can, and please share! Your donations will make the difference between success and failure!

Following last week’s 2-day strike, with high levels of participation and extraordinary picket line solidarity, the University of London and Balfour Beatty Workplace announced significant concessions on sick pay and holidays, which would bring outsourced workers’ conditions closer to those who work directly for the University.

However, the issues of recognition, pensions and the Garden Halls have not been addressed, and today workers are holding an EMERGENCY MEETING to discuss the future of the dispute and decide on action.

All members are welcome to attend – the meeting will be taking place at the Institute of Education between 12 and 3 today. Any questions, call Jason on 07771783094.