Protest pays off for cleaners at Barclays

The justice for Cleaners Scores another victory. This time not just for cleaners but for all ancillary workers
Protest pays off for cleaners at Barclays
Evening Standard
18 June 2007, 1:49pm
Barclays today reacted to trade-union pressure and bumped up the pay of 1,000 cleaners and other ancillary staff to £7.50 an hour.
The bank was last month targeted by the Unite union and religious groups as the worst payer of cleaners in Canary Wharf.
The cleaners staged protests calling for a raise to the £7.20 an hour that Mayor Ken Livingstone said was the London minimum living wage.
Many of them work in the investment banking and fund management offices, where most staff earn well over £100,000 a year.
Until now, cleaners at the Canary Wharf headquarters have been paid £6.40 an hour while those at Barclays Wealth Management got £6.14.
Now 1,000 cleaning, mailroom, gym and catering staff in 370 locations across the capital will see their wages lifted to £7.50 an hour.
Barclays pointed out that this was £2.15 an hour above the Government's minimum wage and 30p better than Livingstone's 'living wage'.
Facilities management director Jon Couret said: 'Although these employees are not directly employed by Barclays, we have a responsibility to ensure they receive a fair, well-rounded remuneration package, and this deal delivers that.'
Barclays' contractors include Mitie, Lancaster, Initial, Mail Source and Bannatyne's. Goldman Sachs was last year targeted by cleaners shouting 'Goldman Sucks'.