London Underground cleaners have been fighting for decent pay and conditions for many months. Now some have been targeted by immigration police and deported to their “home countries” - even where these are recognised as unsafe (Pic: » Guy Smallman)
by Matthew Cookson
Pic: Guy Smallmanby Matthew Cookson
Thursday 3 July was no ordinary day for the mainly migrant workers at the contractors that supply cleaning services to London Underground.
The workers’ RMT union had called a strike against the cleaners’ pitiful wages and poor conditions, and everyone knew that this would be an important battle.
But for three cleaners who reported to the offices of their GBM Services employer only to find a squad of immigration officers laying in wait for them, it was to be a day of humiliation, rather than protest.
The three men – from Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Congo – did vital work to keep the capital running smoothly, but all have been treated like criminals whose very identities are being kept a closely guarded secret.
Each was interviewed then taken into custody.
Two of them have already been removed from Britain. The other is waiting to be deported.
Now campaigners are demanding to know what has happened to the three since their arrest, and whether the company had asked them to report to work at a specific time knowing that immigration officers were awaiting them.
London Underground cleaners have been fighting for decent pay and conditions for many months. Now some have been targeted by immigration police and deported to their “home countries” - even where these are recognised as unsafe
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