London Hospital Workers Strike over Low Pay

Hundreds of domestic workers in four London hospitals are on strike to demand a 30p pay raise.

On July 11, cleaners, porters and security guards at Whipps Cross University Hospital, Royal London Hospital, St Bartholomew’s Hospital and Mile End Hospital launched a seven-day work stoppage. The workers have announced plans for further strake actions later this month, as well as in August and September.
The workers are employed by Serco, a British outsourcing company that won a £600 million contract with Barts Health NHS Trust last year. The company has capped pay raises at one percent, despite the rising cost of living in London.
Unite trade union officer Colenzo Jarret-Thorpe, quoted in the Standard, said, “Low paid workers who keep our hospitals clean, safe and running smoothly are not prepared to get poorer while the multimillion pound privateer Serco rakes in millions.”