Skip to content or view screen version

ISS Justice for Cleaners Call for Support

Justice for Cleaners | 27.11.2006 14:28 | Migration | Workers' Movements | London

Cleaners need help to tackle big multinational company.

ISS is one of the biggest cleaning companies in the world, operating from Denmark in more than 42 countries, and It is partially owned by Goldman Sachs investments.

Unions from around the world are targetting ISS because it refuses to honour the global agreements that workers were hoping would bring some relief to their conditions. The UK branch of ISS has been singled out for being particularly cunning in its deals.

Workers at ISS in London clean some of the richest banks and financial centres, but they only get paid over minimun wage. They demand a living wage, sick pay, pension and fair holidays. Basically they want what most people in this country take for granted. ISS makes its profits on the back of the exploitation of migrants, who are the cleaners everywhere in the world. This happens with the help of government laws that make poor foreigners, whose only crime is trying to support their families, live in permanent fear.

ISS has agreed to partial deals with the union TGWU, but the problem with these agreements is that at current speed it would take 10 years for all ISS workers in every site to reach the same level. We are not prepared to wait that long, that is why we want a single deal for all sites that brings equal conditions to ALL workers. To date ISS refuses to sign this deal.

Justice for Cleaners, the cleaners union form TGWU, is organising actions every day in buildings cleaned by ISS. The next big actions will be:

- Tuesday 28th, meet at TGWU building 11:30 am
- Wednesday 29th, meet at TGWU building 4:00 pm

Transport House, 128 Theobalds Road, Holborn, London WC1X 8TN Telephone: 020 7611 2500

Come and support the cleaners, but remember that some people may be undocumented so try to be respectful of the group's agreed vibe and dont get anyone in danger by loosing your cool. If you get arrested you will have the full support of union lawyers.


Justice for Cleaners