Statement by Andrew Young, Chief Operating Officer
You may have recently read articles in The Beaver, or been emailed directly, regarding a current campaign around the pay and conditions of cleaning staff at LSE, who are employed by a contractor (Noonan). A number of cleaners are being represented by an external trade union - the United Voices of the World (UVW) - who have organised a number of actions on campus in recent weeks, as well as launching an online petition around the issue.
It should be said that the sense of injustice felt by a number of the cleaners is something we are taking very seriously and the School will be giving proper thought to the issues raised that are directly within our control. However, many of the concerns raised relate to the terms and conditions of Noonan as an employer and we cannot directly interfere with such matters. Nonetheless, we are working with Noonan to set up a formal three-way partnership working arrangement with Unison - one of our recognised trade unions - which will provide an appropriate forum for these matters to be discussed and negotiated. LSE will be a part of these discussions, but will not play a decision-making role on Noonan terms and conditions.
For those of us who have been following this issue, it’s worth highlighting that a number of the claims made by UVW are factually inaccurate. For example, Noonan staff receive an identical hourly rate of pay (at the London Living Wage rate) as equivalent staff at LSE. Likewise, Noonan staff have never been banned from eating in LSE catering establishments. None of this of course detracts from the broader points that the cleaners are making, but this is a complex issue which requires a thorough and critical examination of the facts.
UVW are threatening a formal trade dispute and potential industrial action if their demands are not immediately met, or put into an immediate train of action. We think it would be a shame for cleaners to be dragged into strike action so quickly when there has been no legitimate attempt at dialogue through appropriate channels. LSE, Noonan and Unison are working hard to allow these negotiations to begin as quickly as possible to avoid our colleagues pitching forward into strike action when it may otherwise have been unnecessary.
We will keep you updated with any significant progress on these issues.