by New Worker correspondent
The London School of Economics, which older readers will recall was founded by Sidney and Beatrice Webb, authors of an important history of British trade unions, has acted viciously towards the leader of the 2017 strike by cleaners.
Jamaican born Mildred Simpson, a member of the small non-TUC union, United Voices of the World, is a cleaner with 21 years of service at the LSE where she successfully led a strike which saw the ending of outsourcing. Now she is facing disciplinary action on very flimsy grounds with the aim of getting her sacked just before she reaches retirement age.
Her alleged offence was to leave her post 15 minutes before the end of her shift on no less than three times in over two years.
This she correctly points out is “all down to bullying and victimisation. I feel that they’ve been targeting me for years” she tells us. This constant picking on me seemed to intensify after our successful strike against outsourcing. I suspect this repetitive singling out has to do far more with my union activities than anything else.”
Like many low paid workers she has effectively two jobs at the LSE: First as a cleaner from 6 am to 8.30 am and later as a janitor from 9 am to 5 pm. That long day is even longer because although her shift starts she is “in LSE every morning from around 5:15am because I’m a team leader and I want to have enough time before my actual shift starts so everything is ready before my team arrives.”
As a reward for her trade union activities: “I’ve had several meetings about minor issues which have fizzled out without any result, but this constant picking on me seemed to intensify after our successful strike against outsourcing. I suspect this repetitive singling out has to do far more with my union activities than anything else.”
She has also complained about understaffing which bosses interpret as her not being able to do her job properly, which she feels is unfair.
As result of the stress from this victimisation she has been signed off sick by her doctor and had go to counselling to be able to cope.
Despite this she remains defiant and advises any workers in a similar position to “keep your spirits up, keep your strength up, because we, in the union, support each other. Whatever they are doing to us, we are not standing down”.
It is a pity that small street unions such as UVW are necessary. They are essentially the result of the big general unions, Unite, Unison and GMB failing to organise the migrant workers who make up the majority of cleaning workers. They have the resources to do so, but many of their recruitment campaigns begin and end with a photo-shoot with the General Secretary instead of the sustained work necessary. Among the TUC unions, only RMT have deployed their resources in this direction.
by New Worker correspondent
A dispute is bubbling away at the University of East London (UEL) where the University and College Union has warned of industrial action against the university’s plan to impose compulsory job cuts.
Balloting it presently underway. The issue is over ten compulsory job cuts, including seven academic posts, and the effects of the additional workload which remaining staff would face. Last July the university said it needed to make 134 people redundant due to an expected decline in student numbers due to Covid-19, but the now the university is forecasting higher student enrollments than last year. These cuts would mean 92 jobs would go in total, after 82 staff agreed on voluntary redundancy. The latest cuts target senior academics in the social sciences and the university’s architecture departments.
The union said it sent a worrying message to students that the university was cutting almost 100 jobs despite the university forecasting an increase in student enrollments, and with staff workloads already at unbearable levels.
In addition UCU argues UEL is acting unlawfully and is considering a legal challenge on grounds of lack of meaningful consultation, unfair selection, unfair dismissal, victimisation and discrimination. Six of the seven academics facing the sack are over 50 years old, five are of black and minority ethnic heritage, and five are female. This, said UCU makes the university’s pious claims of commitment to equality and diversity “ring hollow when it treats staff like this”.
By a strange coincidence no less than four of the seven academics facing the sack are also UCU activists, including the branch chair and vice-chair.
The university claimed it has been acting properly stating that “Following an extensive consultation, that commenced at the beginning of July, at the end of both the legal process and then a further nine weeks of consultation with at-risk individuals – demonstrating the university’s commitment to seek all reasonable alternatives to compulsory redundancy – eight roles remain at risk and efforts are continuing to identify suitable redeployment opportunities for those people.
Evidently unconvinced UCU regional support official Amanda Sackur said: “UEL staff are reporting unmanageable workloads but the university is insisting on more cuts. The decision to sack another 10 staff on top of the 82 who have already accepted redundancy this year is completely unjustified”, adding that “Most of the academic staff the university is trying to sack have protected characteristics, and we believe UEL has deliberately tried to get rid of UCU activists. It is outrageous that the university trumpets its commitment to diversity and equality and then attacks staff in this way. UEL now needs to step back from the brink, limit any further damage to its reputation, drop these disastrous cuts and engage meaningfully with us in finding alternate solutions”.
On the same campus teachers at the London Design & Engineering College (LDE) are taking strike action over the dismissal of a National Education Union rep. This is one of those free schools where the headmaster is a law unto himself.
Squashed into a corner of the UEL, it is far too small for the number of pupils and even lacks a playground. After a NEU rep raised health and safety concerns during the pandemic, the Head promptly sacked the rep saying she had no rights because she had been employed for less than two years.
Even after a judge found the sacking was unjustified and instructed LDE management to reinstate her the bosses reneged on their promise to do so and another person was appointed in her place. The rep said she was unaware of any investigation and simply had a dismissal pack sent to her house.
