Whitehall cleaners today protested outside a government building demanding a living wage.
Cleaners, activists and some members of the civil service gathered outside Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) headquarters with placards and had “Don’t wash your hands off us, Lin Homer” written on their palms.
Some civil servants came out of the 100 Parliament Street building to show support, taking leaflets with them to distribute inside.
Whitehall cleaner of six years Nana, 50, said that “wages are too low. We want our voice heard and we want to see our loved ones . By the time I leave for work and then come home after work, my kids are sleeping.” He said that he worked three different shifts a day.
Iolanda said that she leaves her home at 4:30am and lives on the other side of London. She said that she gets back home at 11:30pm and earns £6.31 an hour. “I’m trying to do this for me and my friends. It’s too much.”
Whitehall cleaners are now handing out leaflets to HMRC staff: "Do not wash your hands of us Lin Homer" #LivingWage pic.twitter.com/bPNIagVvbR
— Aisha S Gani (@aishagani) October 17, 2014
Stefan Baskerville, a senior community organiser and Living Wage campaigner, tweeted:
HMRC cleaners very unhappy at minimum wage jobs. Not enough to live on. @HMRCgovuk should pay a Living Wage pic.twitter.com/GCNdhp7umq
— Stefan Baskerville (@ssbaskerville) October 17, 2014
The cleaners have previously written to the HMRC asking for a meeting to discuss the Living Wage, which is now £8.80 an hour in London.
HMRC raised the wages of its cleaners in 100 Parliament Street, yet wages of cleaners elsewhere at Euston Tower, Custom House and Bush House remain the same – on a minimum wage of £6.50 an hour, which cleaners say is not enough to live in London.
In a letter to Lin Homer, chief executive of HMRC, the Whitehall cleaners argue that although they are subcontracted through a cleaning company, it is ultimately the responsibility of the government department to ensure a just wage.
The cleaners state in the letter sent in July:
We work hard to keep the offices clean, but we are paid less than it costs to live. Due to our low pay many of us have two or even three jobs to make ends meet, working long hours, leaving the house at 4.30am and not returning until past 9pm.”
In an email seen by the Guardian, Lin Homer refused to meet with the cleaners and last month replied:
I understand your concerns about wage levels and the cost of living but these are matters for employees and employers. HMRC is not the employer so I do not believe that a meeting would have any impact on the issue at this point. You are employed by an external contractor so any concerns you have about your terms and conditions is better dealt with by them.”
Four government departments as well as the supreme court, Houses of Parliament, the National Audit Office and the Financial Conduct Authority already pay a living wage to cleaners, who are also sub-contracted through an external company.
An HMRC spokesman told the Guardian that the department, “greatly appreciates the work cleaning staff do in our buildings and all cleaning staff are paid above the national minimum wage. As cleaning staff are employed by an external contractor who set the terms and conditions of their employment, HMRC has no control over their pay.”
