Cleaners at are on strike after their new employers, Pall Mall Services, tried to cut their wages by 20 per cont. Rod Marshall spoke to them for Socialist Outlook. RM: Why did you go on strike in the first place? Jagir: well you see they wanted us to sign this new contract which we didn't sign. RM: what did the contract ask you to do? Jagir: they said that our terms and conditions will be different, they will cut 20 per cent UNISON "We will stand here as long as it takes and we're going to make it official' off our wages. That's why we didn't sign the contract. When we asked Peter Barry, the UNISON official, "where do we stand now?". he said nothing to us, and he has not even supported us here. We've been nearly three weeks In the cold and nobody has taken any action to support uS. RM: is this an 'official" strike? Jagir: Yes. The UNISON leader Peter Barry keeps say. ing that it is not an official strike, that it is unofficial.
Plato: Rod Marshall But according to us it Is an official strike and we want to make it an official strike. Because we are fed up standing here, we've been paying them (UNISON) for nothing all these years and they're not doing Q: is this an 'official' strike? standing here for A: Yes. The UNISON leader, Peter Barry, keeps saying that it is not an official strike, that it is unofficial. But according to us it is an official strike dayshift - but their bloody job properly. RM: when did Pall Mall sack you? Jagir: They sacked us on October 1. October 30 was the last day to sign the contracts. But we didn't sign the contract because we didn't want the new terms and conditions. RM: they've brought other workers in? Jagir: They've brought scabs in - agency people which they are paying double and treble money. Yet they couldn't pay us £3.19 for an hour. And we've been working all these years, the hard work we have to do - even when we wanted our holidays, we were booking our holidays they used to refuse us. RM: they refused you leave? Jagir: Yes. "No we're fully booked, you can't have your holidays". RM: did conditions deteriorate when Pall Mall came in? Jagir: Yes. The supervisor knew that the ladies (workers) here are so scared their not going to go anywhere; they will do as you tell them to do. But she didn't know this was the final straw. RM: how many workers have been affected, how many are on strike? Jagir: 60-70 of us. Evening ladies and full time now they've got loads of agency people in there and were all out. RM: and Pall Mall are refusing to negotiate? Jagir: Yes. RM: What action are you planning and what have you done so far? Jagir: we're going to take them to court. We ain't going to give up. RM: where can people send donations, to the local UNISON branch? Jagir: Yes, we can't cope anymore. UNISON are not doing their job properly - we've been paying them all these years- why? They said we were going to get £62.50 every week hardship money but we don't want that - we're not slaves or beggars - we want our strike money. We've had nothing for 3 weeks. They've given us nothing at all. RM: have you got a message for UNISON? Jagir. Yes, please write to Peter Barry and tell them to FEATURES make it an official strike, and to give us support and money as well. We ain't going to give up, we will stand here as long as it takes and we're going to make it official. We want these people out. • Write to chief executive of Hillingdon Hospital Philip Brown to protest at the treatment of the cleaning staff at: Hillingdon Hospital, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UB8 3NN. Telephone 01895 238382. • Send letters of support to: WNISON office, Hillingdon Hospital, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UB8 3NN.
SOCIALIST OUTLOOK No. 92, October 28 1995. page 6.