“Vodafone HQ Cleaners ‘Threatened with Blacklisting’ Over Protests at Outsourcing Giant”, 1 March 2023

Walter Cabrera cleaned at Vodafone’s London HQ throughout the pandemic. For much of it, he was earning £8.95 an hour, supporting his family, including his two children and his mother. But when he caught COVID, unlike colleagues employed directly by Vodafone, he got no company sick pay.

He wasn’t employed by Vodafone but outsourcing giant Mitie, and he soon came to believe it was a two-tier system. ..

...the dozen or so cleaners working for Mitie see it as a reasonable demand to get full sick pay, more staff, and an end to “unfair and discriminatory practices”.

Cabrera and his fellow cleaners at Vodafone’s HQ – mostly members of the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB) – launched a campaign for “fair pay and proper sick pay” in 2021. They won the London Living Wage for cleaners at Vodafone buildings nationally, as well as the hiring of some new staff.

But, after a year of organising, they allege that the largely Latin American cleaners have been victimised by managers at outsourcing giant Mitie for speaking out.

Walter Cabrera’s...reports being watched constantly after starting to organise with the union and says he feels “harassed” if he takes breaks, while he has also reported not being allowed to sit down or to leave the building while on shift…

Calbera and the union allege that he was disciplined for refusing to take on extra workloads for free and is suffering emotionally amid claims his supervisor is “retaliating” against him for union activities.

...Cabrera said Mitie had made no move on the workers’ demand for better sick pay. “They’re also being quite stubborn about our demand for a change of supervisor,” he said. “We put forward a grievance regarding the treatment and provided evidence. They’ve rejected it.”

He added that one supervisor for Mitie “victimises our members time and time again” and that “it’s very overwhelming at work because [the individual] only treats trade union members in this way”.

One encounter with a Mitie official after leafletting last autumn stuck with Cabrera. “The day after we were distributing leaflets, one of their employees said that those of us who were distributing flyers could be blacklisted or in line for future dismissal,” he said.

Mitie has said it has received no evidence of victimisation, though the union disputes this.

He believes there is a stark injustice in what cleaners are paid versus some other employees. “Our group, who work at the headquarters where the president of Vodafone is based, were getting paid £8.93 before the pandemic,” he told Byline Times. They are now on £11.95 – the London Living Wage – but say they are still struggling.

“We don’t want to wait another three-and-a-half years for a dignified pay rise – the cost of living is going up,” Cabrera added…

Andino believes there is an element of discrimination “around the language barrier” at play – a claim denied by Mitie. “Most of us don’t have the highest level of English or we come from migrant backgrounds,” he said…

A Mitie spokesperson told Byline Times that it takes “any allegations of discrimination and bullying very seriously and always ensures any claims are investigated as a matter of priority”.

“We are yet to receive any evidence of discrimination of colleagues working on this contact, despite several requests for this information as part of the investigation process,” the spokesperson added. “As one of Britain’s leading employers, we know our people are what makes us exceptional and are proud to offer some of the best benefits in our industry. All of our colleagues on this contract are paid at least the London Living Wage.”…

A Mitie source downplayed the union campaign, saying it had not received any evidence to support the victimisation allegations. However, the union disputes this, having submitted a series of official complaints.

A Vodafone UK spokesperson said: “We are committed to paying our people fairly and providing a great place to work. This includes ensuring that the Real Living Wage is paid to all our employees and third-party contracted staff. We hope there will be productive dialogue between Mitie and the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain on the working arrangements of Mitie employees.”