Protests grow for sacked cleaners at National Physical Laboratory, Teddington (UK)

PRESS RELEASE

Protests grow for sacked cleaners at National Physical Laboratory

Refugees persecuted in Colombia and now here, for criticizing cleaning company

Actions are intensifying in support of the five Colombian cleaners dismissed by cleaning company Amey PLC at the government's National Physical Laboratory in Teddington, Middlesex, for criticizing management practices in a leaflet.

Having had their appeals against dismissal turned down the cleaners and their supporters will be responding with:

• A meeting with staff and students at Kingston University at 5pm tonight, ahead of a visit to the university by Amey Chief Executive Mel Ewell, who will be given a place in the University's Hall of Fame next week in a public ceremony there.
• A protest tomorrow Friday at 1pm at Amey PLC offices in Waterhouse Square off High Holborn. and further protests including atAmey's national HQ in Oxford.
• Legal action at an Employment Tribunal

Two of the sacked cleaners were ironically persecuted for political activities in Colombia. One of them, Julio Mayor, a former trade unionist in Colombia says:

"We were sacked for trying to communicate with the other staff at the National Physical Laboratory about Amey's violation of the employment rights of cleaners there. We are protesting here to publicly request the National Physical Laboratory to take action against Amey to stop victimising cleaners."

Robin Sivapalan from the Campaign Against Immigration Controls says:

"This comes as more and more public organizations are contracting out services to companies such as Amey, who look to cut costs and pay their workforce as little as possible. When the workers resist a variety of tactics, including immigration raids and deportations have been used. We are calling on the National Physical Laboratory to not ignore this and to make sure all the people that work there get a fair deal."

Contact: Jake Lagnado, 07818 866 7192, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Photos will be available on request. Earlier photos at
http://london.indymedia.org.uk/articles/130
http://caic.org.uk/node/21
and from the first demo: https://london.indymedia.org.uk/articles/75

Notes for editors:

1. The actions were organised by several solidarity groups including the Trade Union and Community Campaign Against Immigration Controls (http://caic.org.uk/) the Latin American Workers Association, London Coalition Against Poverty (http://lcap.org.uk), Colombia and Bolivia Solidarity Campaigns, Unite-Justice for Cleaners activists at Schroders investment bank and others.
2. In August five Colombian cleaners working for Amey Plc at the National Physical Laboratory were suspended for criticising the company for putting an excessive workload onto ever fewer staff, for unilaterally changing working terms and conditions and for disrespecting grievance procedures. The five were sacked on 14th September 2008.
3. The cleaners were charged with bringing the company into disrepute after they sent a leaflet to other NPL staff explaining what was going on in the cleaning department and asking for their support, especially against victimisation and bullying they were facing from their manager.
4. Since Amey took over the contract in December 2006 the number of cleaners has been reduced from thirty-six to ten as the company has looked to cut costs wherever possible, in the process virtually getting rid of the living wage won by the original workforce. Four of the current ten are temporary workers being paid the minimum wage.
5. In May 2007 two workers were deported to Brazil and one to Colombia after Amey called in the Home Office to check the immigration status of workers who were active in the cleaners' union.
6. Amey, which posted a £75 million net annual profit, is a majority shareholder in Tubelines, which cleans parts of the Underground. Tube cleaners who went on strike for a living wage this summer were faced with paper checks, immigration raids and deportations to countries including Sierra Leone and the Congo.

Latin American Workers' Association
c/o T&G, 218 Green Lanes, London N4 2BR
tel: 020 8826 2063