Friday’s strike by PCS/UVW members employed Just Ask Estates Services Ltd at the Royal Parks.
The first in a series of strikes will be taken on:
Date: Friday 30 July
Venue: Royal Parks HQ, the Old Police
station, Hyde Park, London W2 2UH.
Time: 9:30 am onwards
PCS and UVW union members are striking for parity
in terms and conditions with their directly employed Royal Parks colleagues
i.e. the same sick pay, annual leave and pension entitlement.
90% of the cleaners are BAME/migrant workers.
Conversely, 90% of the Royal Parks directly employed staff are white. When the
Royal Parks took the decision in March to continue to outsource the services
they should have considered the equality impact under the public sector
equality duty and put measures in place to mitigate against any adverse impact
on equality grounds. They did not.
Ways to show solidarity
· Support the picket line/rally outside Royal Parks
HQ at 09.30 am. The address is the Old Police station, Hyde Park, London W2 2UH.
· Make a donation to the strike fund https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/end-discrimination-at-the-royal-parks
· Send a message of support to outsourcedworkers@pcs.org.uk
End Discrimination at the Royal Parks
by PCS and UVW Trade Unions in London,
England, United Kingdom
Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by
19th September 2021 at 1:02pm
We are crowdfunding for Just Ask
Estates Service Ltd workers’ strike fund.
PCS and UVW
union members employed by Just Ask Estates Service Ltd at London’s Royal Parks
will take the first day of series of strikes on Friday 30 July 2021 to
demand equal pay and conditions with their directly employed colleagues.
We are
crowdfunding for their strike fund so that they can end discrimination at the
Royal Parks and win equal treatment with their directly employed
colleagues.
In March
2021, the Royal Parks awarded the Public Toilets and Buildings Cleaning
contract to Just Ask and chose to select a tender that meant staff would
receive statutory minimum:
- sick pay,
- maternity pay,
- annual leave, and,
- pension
entitlement.
Conversely,
Royal Parks' directly employed staff enjoy full pay when sick, employer funded
maternity pay and far better paid holiday and pension entitlement.
When making
this decision, the Royal Parks failed to consider the equality impact. Around
90% of their in-house staff are white, whilst staff working on the outsourced
cleaning contract are 90% Black and Minority Ethnic. As a public body they have
a legal duty to do this. The outcome has been the creation of a discriminatory,
two tier workforce.
The
wider impact
This dispute
could result in all public bodies being required to take into account the
discriminatory effect of having double standards between their directly
employed staff and their (predominantly BAME) outsourced workforces. This would
translate into a more just and equal society for all.
We
appreciate any contribution you are able to afford.
Thank you for your support and solidarity!
