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02.06.2026 / News / Ark Globe Academy / Justice for Cleaners

Migrant Cleaners at South London School To Be Balloted for Strike Over Pay and Payroll Disputes

“We are workers who keep this service running through our daily effort, waking up at 4:00 in the morning, enduring exhausting shifts and an ever-increasing workload. While we sacrifice our health and family life for this job, the company continues to ignore our demands, impacting our families’ livelihoods.” 

Maria, Cleaner at Ark Globe Academy


Outsourced migrant cleaners at Ark Globe Academy in south London are set to be balloted for strike action in a dispute over pay, payroll problems and working conditions.
 

The workers, who are employed by contractor Atlas Cleaning Limited and are members of the United Voices of the World (UVW) union, say they have been denied the full London Living Wage (LLW) increase for the first time in five years. They are also raising concerns about ongoing payroll errors that they say have left some struggling to cover rent, household bills and other essential expenses.
 

The cleaners successfully campaigned to secure the LLW in 2020 and have received annual increases ever since. However, from April 2026 they received only a partial uplift, bringing their hourly pay to £14.27 rather than the full updated rate.
 

Workers were shocked by the decision and also frustrated by what they describe as months of incorrect payments and delayed corrections, which have resulted in grievances over a four-month period. 

The dispute also extends beyond pay. Workers have raised concerns about sickness reporting procedures that include references to possible disciplinary action. Some cleaners are also seeking updated contracts that accurately reflect their agreed working hours, which they say are not currently recorded formally.
 

Atlas Cleaning has told UVW that it cannot fully implement the 2026 London Living Wage increase because of contractual arrangements with Ark Globe Academy.
 

In response, Ark Globe Academy told the union that it had decided “to pause alignment to the Real Living Wage for this financial year” due to wider financial pressures affecting both the organisation and the education sector.
 

The pay dispute has also drawn attention to the gap between senior executive pay and the wages earned by outsourced staff. Publicly available accounts show that Ark chief executive Lucy Heller received annual remuneration of £216,300, while the school’s outsourced cleaners earn £14.27 per hour.
 

For many workers, the dispute is about more than a single pay increase. It follows years of uncertainty linked to outsourcing arrangements at the academy. UVW says migrant cleaners have repeatedly been transferred between contractors under TUPE regulations, creating instability and leaving workers vulnerable to changes in employment conditions.
 

Maria, a cleaner at the school, UVW member and single mother of two, said: 
 
“We are workers who keep this service running through our daily effort, waking up at 4:00 in the morning, enduring exhausting shifts and an ever-increasing workload. While we sacrifice our health and family life for this job, the company continues to ignore our demands, impacting our families’ livelihoods. For months, we have lived with the constant anxiety of not knowing whether we will be paid correctly, whether money will be missing from our wages, or whether we will once again have to fight for salaries we have already earned through our hard work. This is not an isolated mistake — we believe it reflects a systematic lack of respect toward the people who do the hardest and lowest-paid work. We have been patient. We have followed procedures, submitted complaints, and given the company every opportunity to put things right.  We are not asking for privileges. We are demanding dignity, fair wages, correct pay, and decent working conditions. And we will not remain silent while our families continue to suffer the consequences of this injustice. Enough is enough!”
 

If members vote in favour of industrial action, the cleaners could become the latest group of outsourced workers in London’s education sector to take strike action in a campaign for fair pay and workplace protections. 
 
If you want to stand up for dignity, equality and respect with your colleagues, get in touch!  

 

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