Report back from Justice for cleaners mtg this Tuesday.

(I feel terrible that i havent written this before, but the meeting was so good and full of ideas and analysis that i am finding it hard to write elegantly enough to do the meeting justice. So, i will keep adding to it...)

'A victory for one is a victory for all'

I was so inspired by a meeting at SOAS this week.

25 cleaners and trade union reps and other activists from various cleaners campaigns attended a meeting at SOAS on Tuesday to discuss victories and strategy. Among us were people from RMT Eurostar, RMT Tubelines cleaners and RMT reps, SOAS Unison, SOAS UCU, SOAS SU, Queen Mary, Royal Mail, Birkbeck College and various other people.

All three speakers spoke about the confidence their campaigns have gained from having support from other groups and stressed the need to continue building links and extending solidarity. Contributions followed.

Stalin Vermudez, the SOAS Unison branch chair spoke first. Having worked for 7 cleaning companies he explained how all cleaning companies are cowboys, despite the fact that we had OCEAN managers in the room, he said that they all “exploit their workers and that's why they have managers-to do the dirty work”. After hearing about SOAS's success cleaners at Birkbeck have begun to join the union and a campaign has started to make some headway. Birkbeck management accused SOAS of 'opening a can of worms'.

In meeting to debate and decide which cleaning company to employ SOAS management said that 'we are known for going out on a limb-we should be leading the way on workers rights'. I doubt whether this was a sincere statement or just to appease me, as Student Union Governing Body member.

An engineer from Eurostar told us how 74 engineers refused to cross the picket line on the day of OCS cleaners strike action. The engineers are now facing disciplinary action. They now see this disgraceful and illegal move as an 'open door to join the dispute'. They thanked us for all our support on the picket lines and our People Before Profit stunt and leafletting sessions and said they would not have been brave enough to take solidarity action if we had not been there to support them. They said that 'if people can see you fighting others will fight with you'.

OCS think that cleaners are unorganised and wouldn't fight and have relied on this (assumption?) presumption to prevaricate over the terms and conditions of the contract. Their contract is up for renewal and therefore they have nothing to lose. More planned action is pending the outcome of further scheduled negotiations.

Tubelines cleaning rep, Philip Mambuliya (??) argued that 'nothing comes to us sitting in our armchair-we have to fight for it'. ... 'if you dont stand for something, you fall for anything.'

Although Tubelines are very happy with winning the London Living Wage, they are still in the process of negotiating better terms and conditions and of course having to fight against deportations. The TUC have spoken out against the use of immigration controls and have planned a meeting at SOAS on Sunday.

SOAS's Unison Black members rep reiterated the feeling of the meeting when she said that 'exploitation IS racist. Management bang on about their Equal Opps policies but these are no more than empty promises.'

Another speaker told how management at their workplace are taught 'how not to get caught discriminating'. After her succesfull campaign she assured us that it is not a mountain to bring the cleaners in-house and how united we could beat these bullies. She spoke about how the Home office raids 50 workplaces per week and that they have a target of 5,000. Many workplaces dont want to organise migrant workers because they are too high maintenance.

Further, a new law has been introduced, even landlords who dont chek papers are subject to fines of £10,000.

We all left the meeting feeling confident and ready to take the struggle to another level. We need to opush the campaigns across other campuses and other workplaces in London. and we discussed further action.

14 new people signed the People Before Profit charter, 10 of us went to the meeting on the Recession at Friends Meeting House and

Two weeks ago Socialist Worker, through the Freedom Of Information Act, uncovered the story of 2 tube cleaners being deported. Bosses had no issues with workers having no immigration papers

A victory for one is a victory for all BUT an injury to one is an injury to all

I found out after that 8 more cleaners from OCS and Birkbeck couldn't find the venue-what a shame, the mtg was great.

We were suprised but pleased that 2 of the cleaners managers also came. Most of our cleaners are South American, as are the managers, and have faced issues with immigration, non-payment of wages (for 3 months at Christmas), harrasment, victimisation and appaling treatment. 6 months ago, we did a community consultative ballot at which 9 out of 10 students and staff voted to bring the cleaning service in-house. At the ballot box, the said managers came to me and satrted discussing the problems the cleaners have faced and then showed me how they voted-they also voted to bring them in house.

People Before Profit Charter
Public Services Not Private Profit Campaign


ACTIONS DISCUSSED

SOAS Justice for Cleaners relaunch party.

Friday Oct 3rd
SOAS Junior Common Room
Music, food, dancing, discussion and activists forum,

ALL welcome-to invite people from all the campaigns