Unison members working for cleaning contractor Servest at King’s College London have been offered higher staffing levels after they went on strike for two days on 26 and 27 January over excessive workload and a threat of reorganisation.
The walkout came after 98 per cent of the Unison members voted for strike action – and 90 per cent of the cleaning workers are union members. The picket line was a great success, with strikers dancing to Latin American music from 5 am till 3 pm over the two days. It was a great atmosphere with King’s College staff, students and others joining in solidarity.
The strikers, primarily workers who have come here from different Latin American countries but also from the Caribbean and Eastern Europe, are at the forefront of a campaign in the cleaning sector against unmanageable workload and low staffing levels.
The offer to increase staffing levels was received positively by the members. But the practical effects have yet to be seen and the threat of reorganisation, including splitting their shifts, is still in place.
But with 90 per cent membership density and a sound union structure, this is a fight the workers are more than equipped to win.
• A longer version of this article is on the web at Cleaning workers take on outsourcing giant.