29.11.2023 / Press releases / LSE

UVW member cleaners force LSE to backdate their ‘stolen’ holiday pay

UVW member cleaners force LSE to backdate their ‘stolen’ holiday pay

• UVW members who clean London School of Economics (LSE) halls of residence have been granted two years backdated holiday pay, amounting to thousands of pounds, and a one-off lump sum after they took strike action over this summer and launched a group tribunal claim 
• But UVW and its cleaner members have vowed to continue their ongoing industrial and legal action to recover their full holiday pay entitlement dating back several years  
• The tribunal claim for the entire period of unpaid holiday pay – six years since the start of their LSE contracts –  is ongoing

After several UVW strikes and a group tribunal claim over years of ‘stolen’ holiday pay, LSE has granted two years of backdated holiday pay and a one off lump sum of £150 per person to their halls of residence cleaners. The LSE halls of residence cleaners are majoritarily UVW members and migrants from Latin America.  

The workers are however owed holiday pay dating back over six years. The dispute over the ‘stolen’ holiday pay began when the cleaners realised they were only being paid holiday pay based on what is considered to be their “basic salary”, instead of taking into consideration the extra hours that constitute the lion’s share of their weekly income. Holiday pay should be calculated from the worker’s average pay during the previous 52 weeks, irrespective of whether the hours are written in their contract or not. 

Following LSE’s failure to commit to paying the outstanding monies owed from the start of the cleaners’ contracts, the cleaners – who six years ago in June 2017 won a historic fight to end outsourcing and be brought in-house – had no choice but to take three days of coordinated strike action in June alongside other low-paid migrant cleaners, carers and concierge. 

A group legal claim followed in August, which is still ongoing as UVW cleaner members  continue to fight for more years of back pay for holiday pay beyond the welcome yet limited two years of backdated pay. 

Vilma Villamoros, LSE cleaner of 11 years and UVW member said:
“This victory should tell them that this time they won’t get away with it, they have to pay our (owed) holiday pay and we will continue to fight until all the years we have worked are recognised, because we have done our hours every year, we have worked with honesty, during the pandemic when the bosses and others were away, we were standing up for the students of Bankside House and facing the consequences, but none of that is recognised. LSE has treated us very badly just for claiming the things they were doing wrong, for demanding our rights such as holiday pay including overtime and also for demanding that the hours we were working overtime be included in our contract. Although there is still a long way to go, we had to start somewhere.”

Petros Elia, UVW general secretary said:  

“History tells us that LSE only stops treating cleaners like second class workers when faced with a UVW strike, in 2017 we forced them to end outsourcing. They should know UVW members will always fight for their rights, they could have avoided both these strikes. It is unjustifiable that a renowned institution like LSE, which counts 37 past or present world leaders amongst its alumni, would treat the halls of residence cleaners taking care of their students’ welfare in this manner. We call on LSE to do the right thing and pay every penny they owe their halls of residence cleaners without delay. For now our members are pleased that progress has been made but are resolute that the fight continues until all the stolen holiday pay is returned. Not doing so is theft and disgraceful. Let’s hope the LSE learns from its past lessons and begins real negotiations to finally end this dispute.”

For more information contact the comms team.

Cristina: 07548 759340

Isabel: 07706 987443

Jim: 07749 765264

E-mail: comms@uvwunion.org.uk 

Notes for editors

United Voices of the World is an anti-racist, member-led, direct action, campaigning trade union and we exist to support and empower the most vulnerable groups of precarious, low-paid and predominantly BAME and migrant workers in the UK. We fight the bosses through direct action on the streets and through the courts and demand that all members receive at least the London Living Wage, full pay, sick pay, dignity, equality and respect.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION ABOUT THE DISPUTE:

• VICTORY ON APPEAL: LSE forced to back down and reinstate sacked UVW strike leader
• UVW to sue LSE for disability discrimination and trade union victimisation after sacking strike leader
• “Pay us our holiday pay” LSE cleaners take bosses to the Employment Tribunal 
• Three perfect strike days… and the battle continues
• All aboard the UVW strike bus!

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