The petition has attracted the support of Labour MPs Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell (see link below). Union notables such as Jane Loftus of CWU and Jerry Hicks of Unite also featured, along with the London Unite construction branch and Ford Visteon Enfield workers. Meanwhile the involvement of Latin American workers has attracted the support of a host of Latin American community and solidarity organisations, who helped launched the petition 2 weeks previously at London's Bolivar Hall.

The workers handed in the petition accompanied by Unite activist Alberto Durango, who was recently arrested and then released in a company sting whilst playing a leading role in winning support for the Willis campaign at his own workplace and the wider trade union movement (see link below for full article). In a letter accompanying the petition they asked Unite to ensure full support and representation for Mr Durango as his employer Lancaster goes through with his dismissal.

They were accompanied by a lively crowd of supporters, who were addressed by shop steward Edwin Pazmino and others outside Transport House beforehand. Many were Unite members, decked out in Unite colours and those of the Justice for Cleaners flagship campaign. It was through this campaign that the Willis cleaners had won the Living Wage, only for the company to respond by switching to all-night working, slashing the workforce in the process.

Meanwhile the cleaners and their supporters have pledged to continue their weekly pickets of Mitie sites, and to continue gathering support through the petition and public meetings.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Come to the next weekly protest:

1pm, Friday 5 June
at HBOS, 33 Old Broad Street London EC2.

Sign the petition to Unite -
 http://www.petitiononline.com/jobs4all/petition.html

More info:

 http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/index.php/britain/mcdonnell_backs_cleaners_fight_for_rights

 http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/index.php/britai/bosses_using_raids_to_target_activists


Background:

The cleaners were made redundant between December 2008 and January 2009 after the company failed to relocate them, despite the huge staff turnover for which the sector is notorious, and being the third biggest company inthe 'outsourcing' marke, after Capita and Serco.
They were made redundant whilst still in negotiations. The company claimed to have received a text from one of the cleaners rejecting an agreed deal on behalf of the whole group affected. The workers reject this version of events.
The four still fighting are those left from an original workforce of around 27, which was gradually broken up due to the decision by the company to switch to all-night working in mid-2008. Of the original group only one is now part of the 10-odd cleaners at the Willis Building.
They have been demonstrating weekly outside the Willis Building and other Mitie sites since late January, despite personalised legal threats early on from Mitie to dissuade them from doing so.
Mitie has many contracts for cleaning and facility services; in London their sites include Microsoft, UBS, Transport for London, Victoria bus station amongst others. They made £67.9m profit on £1,407m turnover last year and were up year on year since 2004.