You'd be wrong: the private cleaning contractor ISS (typical - give the dirty work to some grasping gangmaster), the university and the police got together to imprison and interrogate the cleaning staff about their immigration status - at their place of work. I wouldn't be at all surprised to find that they waited until the end of the shift, to extract a few hours work without interruption. In response, the students have occupied the building.
OK, you might object to the presence of undocumented migrants working here. That would be fine, if it wasn't the case that illegal labour pays our way. We rely on slave labour all round the world to make cheap goods for us. Even the expensive goods, such as my lovely old Mac, are made in the cheapest, most exploitative conditions available to corporations. How many UK citizens do you know who deliver pizzas, sell kebabs, clean your offices? These things are too cheap because we don't want to pay people properly, especially those whom we never meet. My institution, at least, pays its cleaners direct - and get good service in return for proper conditions.
By contrast, cleaning, especially in London, is the preserve of the poorest, the most desperate. When they start to agitate about illegal pay levels, dangerous conditions, or unreasonable burdens, their employers sack them or, if they're feeling particularly vindictive, call the immigration service, as has happened in this case.
Yes, local people should have jobs - but a lot won't take 'menial' work, and many more won't take illegally-paid jobs (the minimum wage is £5.73, in case you want to check your wage packet) on principle, which is quite right. This country owes its colonial victims a lot more than £5+ an hour - and we need to run our economy justly and fairly. Until this happens, unscrupulous companies will employ the desperate to do what we won't, then cast them aside. Support the SOAS cleaners!
2 comments:
Thanks for pointhing this out, Vole. There is hope as long as the students take action. They are the future, after all, so I'm content.
The problem doesn't lie within the pay but the competition. When one company offers an estimate to their cleaning costs then they will have to chose between a dozen (especially in London) and those with the cheapest more reliable staff wins as there will always going to be a cheaper option.
But you are right the standards of business practise are dire. I did a BA Hons in Business Management before become acquainted with you, Vole and it opened my eyes to the callous manner of whole operation and those who do 'menial' work. Over- worked, under-paid whilst their contractor’s bosses are usually foreign too and drive around in Jaguars.
They are the scum in my eyes.
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