Medical school cleaners secure London living wage

7:40am Tuesday 29th May 2012 in News By Alexandra Rucki

Campaigning cleaners were celebrating after securing a pay increase up to the London living wage.

The cleaners for St George's Hospital Medical School, housed within St George's Hospital, Tooting, have been running a campaign for increased pay through posters, leafleting and petitions.

They will be paid a new hourly rate of 8.30 per hour from August 1, an increase from their current wage of 6.08 an hour after UNISON signed a deal with contractors Ocean Contract Cleaning Ltd.

However, trade union Industrial Workers for the World (IWW) have said the cleaners could face having their hours cut, which would make the pay rise futile.

UNISON have denied signing anything agreeing to cuts, with a spokesperson accusing IWW of being an anarchist group.

A protest to raise awareness of the issue was staged by IWW outside St George's Hospital last Friday, May 25.

Cleaners, medical students and families took part to raise awareness staff were being paid below the London wage.

A spokesperson for UNISON said: "We managed to secure the London living wage for hospital staff, but never for the teaching school.

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Medical school cleaners secure London living wage