CLEANERS at City University are celebrating a partial victory after their bosses agreed to offer them sick pay and maternity and paternity leave – in line with directly employed staff.
But they warned the fight goes on to be brought in-house.
Earlier this year cleaners held a rally outside the Northampton Square university campaigning for improved conditions.
Many spoke passionately into megaphones about how they felt they had been treated as second-class citizens in a “two-tier workforce”.
City University Unison branch secretary Damien Frettsome said they “applauded” the university for giving cleaners the same core terms and conditions as directly employed staff including occupational sick pay, maternity and paternity pay, annual leave entitlement and pensions provision.
But while he called it a “a big step forward that will improve the lives of our members”, he added: “Cleaners remain outsourced and a two-tier workforce remains at the institution. We think everyone who works at city should be City employees – at the moment they have the same basic core terms and conditions but won’t benefit from the perks that come with being in-house including development and training. Everything that you get in benefit from working for a good employer they don’t get.”
He called on the university to take catering staff in-house as well.
Under the terms of the new deal, contracted workers will get sick pay from day one – as opposed to the current arrangement of the fourth day. They will also get the 42 days’ holiday that City staff get – it has been 28 days.
Mr Frettsome said: “At the moment there’s no offer on catering staff – City are reviewing the contract but there’s been no announcement or movement on providing the same terms and conditions or matching it with the cleaning staff and conditions.”
A university statement said: “City has stated its commitment to provide key equivalent terms and conditions of employment to outsourced cleaning staff. This is with the aim of achieving equivalent principal terms and conditions of employment with City’s own staff over a period of three years.
“Our contract with Sodexo for catering services is not yet due for renewal and it is not an intention to alter the current contractual arrangements provided for under the contract.”
