Cleaning staff at EY in London voted overwhelmingly to strike after being informed that 37% of their jobs were at risk by the subcontractor Mitie. The vote, with a 98% majority and 90% turnout, indicates significant worker unrest. Picketing will occur at EY offices on specific dates, emphasizing concerns over increased workloads and adverse health effects already reported by staff. The IWGB General Secretary criticized the treatment of cleaners, highlighting issues of low wages and the impact of profit-driven decisions on workers' welfare.
Whilst partners at EY take home an average of £723,000 a year, the already overworked cleaning workforce who make just £13.85 an hour are being told that over a third of their jobs are at risk. These are workers who work intense, anti-social shifts to support their families, often at the detriment of their own health, and are being treated as disposable by massive subcontractors like Mitie who prioritise profits and cost cutting over the lives of human beings.
Cleaners have expressed concerns that their already high workload will be pushed onto a smaller number of staff, exacerbating these issues.
Before the redundancies were announced, cleaners had reported issues of overwork, including some reporting physical health conditions such as arthritis.
Instead of trying to intimidate workers out of taking justified strike action, Mitie should be doing everything they can to protect hard working cleaners from losing their livelihoods.
Collection
[
|
...
]