Justice for Cleaners have organised a week of actions against companies in London who employ contract cleaners who pay their workers less than a living wage. Pictures and text from demonstration at Devonshire Square, London EC2 on Thursday 15 May, 2008. Pictures copyright (C) 2008, Peter Marshall
Handing out whistles
Justice for Cleaners Banner
Whistle blower
Protesters and flag
The week's campaign was aimed in particular at Pall Mall (now I think called 'Resource Pall Mall' following the acquisiton of Pall Mall by Resource in October 2007) and Lancaster, the company who in 2006 sent coaches to take its employees at Merrill Lynch for off-site training which turned out to be at government detention centres.
The first demonstrations were held at the large new RBS offices at 250 Bishopsgate, and have apparently led to some progress with Pall Mall (though at least one issue still remains to be agreed) so Thursday afternoon's demonstration was switched to AON in Devonshire Square, EC2.
AON, based in Chicago, is one of the world's leading companies in insurance, with a first quarter net income for 2008 recently announced as $218 million. The cleaners at its City of London offices take home less than it takes to live on in London.
The AON offices in Devonshire Square are on private property (I've previously been stopped from photographing there by security) and the demonstrators formed a line on the street in front of the entrance, watched by security men inside the gates and a few City of London police. Quite a few people working in the square walked in and out past the demonstrators and others inside must surely have heard the very noisy protest, with a great deal of whistle-blowing as well as shouting and chanting. I was pleased I had brought some ear-plugs and soon put them in place.
Justice for Cleaners is campaign is part of an international alliance of unions representing mainly migrant workers, backed by unions including the TGWU and Unite. Their key demands are:
A living wage - now at £7.20
Sick pay (at least 10 days)
Holiday pay (at least 28 days including bank holidays)
Respect for work which is performed by precarious migrant labour.
Rights at work to be protected by a trade union
More pictures shortly at
http://mylondondiary.co.uk/2008/05/may.htm#aon
The first demonstrations were held at the large new RBS offices at 250 Bishopsgate, and have apparently led to some progress with Pall Mall (though at least one issue still remains to be agreed) so Thursday afternoon's demonstration was switched to AON in Devonshire Square, EC2.
AON, based in Chicago, is one of the world's leading companies in insurance, with a first quarter net income for 2008 recently announced as $218 million. The cleaners at its City of London offices take home less than it takes to live on in London.
The AON offices in Devonshire Square are on private property (I've previously been stopped from photographing there by security) and the demonstrators formed a line on the street in front of the entrance, watched by security men inside the gates and a few City of London police. Quite a few people working in the square walked in and out past the demonstrators and others inside must surely have heard the very noisy protest, with a great deal of whistle-blowing as well as shouting and chanting. I was pleased I had brought some ear-plugs and soon put them in place.
Justice for Cleaners is campaign is part of an international alliance of unions representing mainly migrant workers, backed by unions including the TGWU and Unite. Their key demands are:
A living wage - now at £7.20
Sick pay (at least 10 days)
Holiday pay (at least 28 days including bank holidays)
Respect for work which is performed by precarious migrant labour.
Rights at work to be protected by a trade union
More pictures shortly at
http://mylondondiary.co.uk/2008/05/may.htm#aon
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