‘We are struggling to buy food’: Cleaners at £21K per year private school strike over pay

Cleaners at a £21,000 per year private school have joined together in a day of protest over pay, pensions and sick leave.

Facilities staff at Streatham and Clapham High School in Abbotswood Road, Steatham stood outside the Department of Education this morning from 8am on strike against wages and contracts.

The cleaners are demanding the same conditions as cleaning staff employed directly by the independent girls’ school, such as sick pay.

Yolanda Luna, 43, said: “We are not being listened too. The pay needs to increase, I cannot pay for my bills or my food. That is why I am here.”

María Lourdes Zambrana Cruz was directly employed by the school until workers were outsourced to the cleaning company Zing cleaning ltd.

She said: “At first we were happy. The pay was ok. But then we realised we don’t get sick pay.”

Last October, Zing changed the way they pay their workers. Instead of equal payments, each month the cleaners were paid for each day of work.

Although this amounts to the same yearly wage, workers are saying they are no longer able to budget.

Ms Lourdes Zambrana Cruz said: “They never thought we would rise up and organise because we are migrants. Zing have said they will speak with us but not our union, they won’t put any agreement in writing.

“They might be listening but we are not being heard. With the salary that we are paid I have to cover rent, food, I have career responsibilities, I have a son that needs me, I have two grandkids that need me.

“With the money I get I’m not even covering half of this.”

All the workers striking are migrants, the majority are from Latin America and they have been organised by United Voices of the World, a trade union for low-paid migrant workers.

Today kicks-off three days of strike action. From 10am this morning around 140 workers boarded a double decker open top bus outside the Department of Education to tour several striking workplaces across London.

The cleaners, who are paid between £11.95 and £12.05 per hour, also want a pay rise of 13.4 per cent, which would amount to a rise of around £1.60 or £1.61 per hour.

They say this would mean their wages keep up with the rising cost of living. The Retail Price Index – which measures the rate at which the cost of items and services is rising – was 13.5 per cent as of March.

Carlos llerena, 59, said: “I have worked at this school for 17 years. We have to protest to show that we are not invisible. I am here today asking for a modest pay increase.

“My family is being impacted by my current wages, we are stuggling to afford rent, food and supplies for education. But I am also here to support the other UVW members and workers here today.

“This is the only way. We have to strike.”

The cleaners at Streatham and Clapham High School are staff at one of a number of workplaces across the capital who have voted to stage simultaneous walk-outs.

A spokeswoman from Steatham and Clapham High School said: “We are aware of proposed strike action by cleaners who are members of the UVW on four days this Summer term.

“Streatham & Clapham High School engages only contractors who pay the real Living Wage as a minimum and has a good relationship with the cleaning contractors who work on its premises.

“The school is working with its cleaning contractor to reach a satisfactory resolution to this dispute.”

Zing Cleaning Ltd have been approached for comment.

Pictured top: Workers from an Amazon warehouse, the London School of Economics and La Retraite Roman Catholics Girls’ School were together outside the Department of Education (Picture: Claudia Lee)