U.K.
Cleaners at the Houses of Parliament have won their claim for a living wage and improvements to holidays and sick pay. After two days of strike action last year and high-profile campaigning, the cleaners will see their hourly pay rise from £5.20 to £6.10 in March, then to £6.40 in October. The target of £6.70 an hour should be reached in January 2007.
Read more at > TGWU
Earlier this year cleaners working at the federal parliament took strike action to prevent their jobs being outsourced. Now, following negotiations, they have won improved pay and conditions. There will be a higher starting rate for cleaners with experience and the VPOD union believes this is an important recognition of the work done by cleaners. There will also be improved training provision for them and in future they will be able to carry over some additional hours rather than just losing any overtime hours that they have worked. [Read more at > VPOD (DE)->http://www.vpod.ch/aktuell
Public services union UNISON has won an equal pay tribunal case against Bury council in the North West of England. Around 1,200 low paid women workers – cleaners, cooks and support staff – are set benefit from new pay arrangements that will mean they can earn the same kind of bonus payments, worth 33.3% or 50% of hourly pay, as are paid in male dominated jobs like labouring, gardening and refuse collection. Read more at > UNISON (EN)
Cleaners from parliaments around Europe joined a demonstration in London to protest against the low pay and poor conditions of cleaners working at the Houses of Parliament. The TGWU general union backed by the UNI international services federation organised the demonstration and provided figures to show that the cleaners in the UK are among the lowest paid of any working parliaments in western Europe. Read more at > TGWU
