Cleaners at Heathrow Airport’s Terminal 5 and their union UNITE have started their industrial action today on 18 December. Their strike is set to continue until 29 December if no resolution is found.

UNI Europa and its affiliates stand in solidarity with the cleaners organising to challenge low pay, insecure contracts and the growing use of lowest-price procurement in one of Britain’s most profitable transport hubs. Their struggle highlights how outsourcing and procurement practices are undermining workers’ rights in one of the most expensive cities in Western Europe.

Cleaners employed by OCS earn the statutory minimum wage despite Heathrow and British Airways publicly promoting commitments to environmental, social and governance standards and the Living Wage. The cleaners have no access to company sick pay and rely solely on statutory provision. Their experience reflects the reality faced by a predominantly migrant and women workforce cleaning offices, kitchens and toilets across the airport.

Research cited in the PROCURFAIR report shows that public contracts awarded to the lowest bidder in cleaning and private security lead to low pay, discrimination, irregular hours and health and safety risks, with migrant and women workers most affected. A UNI Global Union survey ‘Working Against the Clock’ further finds that half of cleaners across Europe work atypical shifts, often with no alternative….