SOAS Living Wage campaign

A video interview with one of the SOAS cleaners, Consuelo Moreno, was made in summer 2008. You can watch it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rpGobriav4.  Please forward this link to your friends and colleagues.

Latest News - April 2009

STOP THE SACKING - REINSTATE STALIN

The SOAS UNISON Branch Chair, José Stalin Bermudez, was summarily dismissed by the School following a Disciplinary Hearing held last month.

Stalin was a key activist in the successful SOAS Justice for Cleaners Campaign and has selflessly stood up for UNISON members and their rights.

SOAS UNISON Branch has consistently argued that the action taken against Stalin is blatant victimisation of a trade union activist. It is clear that this is an attack on our Branch and an attempt to weaken us ahead of threatened reorganisation.

We need to show management that they have gone too far and that we won’t stand by and allow them to devastate the life of Stalin and his family for standing up for justice and our union rights.

LOBBY STALIN’S APPEAL HEARING

1 PM, MONDAY 6 APRIL, 2009

OUTSIDE MAIN SOAS BUILDING

(THORNHAUGH STREET, RUSSELL SQUARE, WC1H XG)

Previous reports from SOAS

October 2008

SOAS VICTORY & PARTY INVITATION!

Most of you will know by now that SOAS Justice for Cleaners campaign has won a pay increase to the London Living Wage of £7.45, which amounts to a 35% increase for all cleaning staff.  What you may not know is that union recognition, time off for training/english classes, and improved holiday and sick leave are also part of the deal that has been signed with a new cleaning contractor, ISS.  The new arrangements come into effect this month.

SOAS Students' Union, Justice for Cleaners and SOAS Unison are jointly sponsoring a party tomorrow evening (Friday 3rd October) to celebrate the victory.  Supporters of the Birkbeck Living Wage campaign are invited to come along and help celebrate!

February 2008

SOAS management have just released the results of an Outsourced Contracts Review, in which they have indicated that they will consider three costing scenarios for cleaning provision when the current contract expires in July:

• an outsourced solution with pay at the rate determined by current market conditions
• an outsourced solution with pay at the rate determined with reference to the Framework Agreement and job evaluation results
• an insourced solution with pay at the rate determined by the Framework Agreement and job evaluation results.

For more details, click the following link to download the full report from SOAS's Outsourced Contracts Review.

We are watching the SOAS campaign closely, because the Bloomsbury Colleges tend to look to each other and take similar, if not united, approaches on such matters as these.  A positive outcome at SOAS will add to the pressure for Birkbeck management to implement something similar.

For further information about the campaign at SOAS, see the SOAS Living Wage Campaign website.

Autumn 2007

Representatives from the cleaners, Unison and UCU met with Ken Loach (who made the film ‘Bread and Roses’) recently to discuss a new documentary he is making for Channel 4 on the relevance of trade unions. SOAS campaigners also had a meeting with a consultant employed by the School to consider whether contracted out services should be brought back in house.

Negotiations with Ocean for trade union recognition are ongoing and SOAS activists intend to keep up the pressure on the School to implement the London Living Wage a.s.a.p!