UBS: shame on YOU! International Day of Action

March 19, 2010 17:00

Published: March 18, 2010 23:04 by Colombia Solidarity Campaign |

Published by group: Colombia Solidarity Campaign
Tagged as: cleaners union_bank_switzerland workers_struggles

Places: aldgate city_of_london liverpool_street

ternational Day of Action - 5pm on Friday19 March at UBS HQ, 100 Liverpool Street  

"You. It's not just a word. It's a commitment."  (UBS publicity)

 

On 1st February UBS, the Union Bank of Switzerland, transferred the cleaning contract at its London offices to Lancaster Cleaning Services. By law the workforce's terms and conditions should have remained the same, indeed the workers received that very commitment. Yet, working they say to UBS guidelines, the new UBS contractor has:

  ? Cut the full time cleaners' daily wages by 10.75%

  ? Increased workloads

  ? Sacked union shop steward Alberto Durango for resisting these   changes.

Like almost all cleaners in the City, the UBS cleaners are immigrant workers from Latin America, Africa and Portugal - all parts of the world from which UBS draws huge profits. The bank is taking advantage of the immigrant workers' disadvantaged status to impose a wage cut and unsociable conditions. This is shameless exploitation!

We demand of UBS, and its intermediary Lancaster:

  ? Honour your commitment to retain wages, hours and conditions of the previous contract

  ? Stop bullying the cleaners into extra working and unsociable shifts

  ? Pay all your workers a living weekly wage

  ? Reinstate Alberto Durango, and full consultation with workforce.

 

"UBS.  It's not just a PR image. 

It's paying poverty wages and union busting"

 

See the Cleaners' Defence Committee Facebook group for more info: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=321918197556

Facebook page reposted below:

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF ACTION - FRIDAY 19 MARCH - CALL FOR SOLIDARITY!

Dear Brother/Sister,

We are appealing to all sections of the labour movement, to trade unionists, women and youth, socialists and communists, to assist in an important struggle of workers with the Union Bank of Switzerland underway in London.

For many years cleaners (janitors), mostly migrant workers, have been amongst the most exploited section of the working class. In an effort to improve their rights and conditions many have organised into trade unions as part of campaigns such as Justice for Cleaners. There has been a concerted effort by employers to break the union organisation and reverse any gains made by cleaners. Unionised workers have been dismissed and the immigration laws used to victimise and intimidate them.

The Union Bank of Switzerland is the latest to attack these workers, despite making a profit of $1.1 billion in the last quarter, it has hired the notorious anti-union contractor Lancaster Ltd to drive down it costs. Ignoring the legal protections afforded them, they have set out to cut the jobs and wages of workers already on poverty pay. Simultaneously they have attempted to break the trade union of the cleaners at UBS.

A mere three days after taking over the contract, the UNITE union representative and leader of the Latin American Workers Association Alberto Durango, was sacked on 4 February. Alberto has been a leading activist amongst cleaners in London, he previously worked for the contractor Lancaster for over a decade, on becoming a union activist they victimised him. A series of allegations were thrown at Alberto, they orchestrated his arrest based on false claims. He was released without charge. The company then sacked Alberto regardless claiming he never worked under his true identity. After his dismissal the company admitted he had in fact worked in his true identity after all! It is clear UBS and Lancaster are prepared to blacklist union activists.

The treatment of these workers is symptomatic of many others in this industry. It is a disgrace which can and must be stopped. Already many sections of our movement have endorsed the campaign in defence of the cleaners. TO WIN WE NEED YOUR HELP. We have called an international day of action on Friday 19 March. We appeal for protests, demonstrations and actions at all buildings of Union Bank of Switzerland. Please help us by organising actions in your country. Through global solidarity we can defeat a callous representative of global capital.

Chris Ford

Branch Organiser - Unite CLERKENWELL & ST. PANCRAS 0694M

 

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