Search
UVW’s members are some of the most at risk of suffering health and financial consequences due to COVID-19. Low-paid service sector jobs that cannot be performed remotely are at the frontline and often their safety depends on the good will of their bosses.
Listen to their stories, learn about their lived experiences, and understand the real risk and inequality that comes with their work.
Security Guards currently outsourced to Noonan Services, deemed an ‘essential worker’ during the Coronavirus pandemic.
SECURITY GUARD
“Yes of course the response to this crisis was to ignore our interests! But I am not surprised judging by their past attitudes. We have to improvise our own safety measures, these ‘fantastic’ managers ran to the safety of their homes. From the comfort of their homes they send us useless emails not realizings that this virus can travel freely.
There has been no communication to cheer us up or appreciate our fight. In the NHS, the government and managers are proud of the staff who are standing firm, but not here. The lack of empathy is shocking. Am I wrong in suspecting its racial? These guys are cowards. They abandoned everything. I have to wonder who the real heroes are now.
After this is over I think UVW should make an official complaint about these people, or else they would have gotten away with it.
We must gather evidence to present against these guys when this is all over. To the House of Commons Committee, the Department of Work and Pensions and Health and Safety, as I believe there will be a public hearing into this crisis and the way it was handled. To whom much is given, much is also expected. Managers on big salaries should justify their pay.
They owe us a duty of care but that was shunted aside. They ran. I pray this storm shall pass, and when the dust has settled we need to complain officially very loud and clear.”
Statement – 23.03.2020
SECURITY GUARD
“We were informed that several students were in self-isolation in various blocks [of residence]. I asked what happens if there is a Fire Alarm activation in any of these areas. Do we as security go and investigate? Where do these students evacuate to? Nothing was put in place.
I asked for all deliveries to be suspended because we deal with all deliveries and that didn’t happen. No systems have been put in place to safeguard us. I also asked for all students’ visitors to be suspended during this time but had no response.
University management via email requested one of us to escort a student into another room to retrieve a plant. We keep getting these requests from them while they sit in the safety and comfort of their homes.
No protective measures were put in place before they left campus and started to work from home. They just packed up, went home and left us to face this crisis on our own.
The message is clear. The University left us – the contractors and students – at our own mercy while they ran for safety. Where is the duty of care?”
Statement – 19.03.2020
SECURITY GUARD
“From my own experience, I’ve witnessed the unfair treatment of the security staff during these uncertain times. It has been appalling considering almost everywhere else the staff have been sent home for their safety. Here, the security still has to come to work with no sick pay being implemented in case one of us contracts Covid-19.
After months of campaigning to have the same benefits as the SGUL staff we still have not reached a resolution to that matter even when it is needed most. It is clear that the security officers welfare is not a priority. My daily commute to work is difficult and I have raised the issue with management many times but when I asked to move to their many other sites I was told to wait a year.”
Statement – 23.03.2020
SECURITY GUARD
Lack of communication and support from Noonan has been very disappointing. We are still going in, caring out our normal shift pattern and working conditions. We believe that we deserve better and that we aren’t being treated like St Georges staff, as they have been given regular updates. We aren’t part of St. Georges and so we don’t get the same treatment. This is unfair and unacceptable. […] This is causing us stress and strain on our working conditions and home life as well. This is very worrying times for us – you know – not knowing how long this outbreak will last.
Statement – 23.03.2020
Cleaners at the Ministry of Justice are currently outsourced to OCS and have walked out on Workers Memorial Day (28th of April) after two of their colleagues have died from suspected Coronavirus. They allege they’ve been left without sufficient PPE and that OCS and the MoJ is failing to follow government rules.
CLEANER
“Hello, my name is Fatima Djalo. I have worked in the Ministry of Justice since 2009. We are here stuck in the Ministry of Justice working everyday. Everybody else is at home, we the cleaners, security and maintenance are here. It is only us in the building. The problem is we do not have the appropriate materials, we are lacking disinfectant, we are lacking masks, and we do not have the appropriate material to do anything, principally the masks that are the most important thing at the moment – we don’t have them. We are appealing to everyone. We have a colleague that died on Friday last week. There is someone else that we have heard died from maintenance. We don’t know what is happening. We are appealing to everyone to help us to get out of this problem and to see if the Ministry of Justice does something. The Ministry Justice did not close the building and we are here stuck in here catching the virus. Please, we are appealing to everyone who can to help us.’“
Statement – 28.04.2020
CLEANER
“Hello my name is Carlos Alberto, I work in the company OCS in the Ministry of Justice building. I was off work from the 18th March to 19th April with suspected COVID-19. I followed the NHS processes and made the application every 7 days and I sent it to the company. I returned to work on the week of 20th April, but I was told I would only receive SSP, which is very little, and from what I hear it would only be about £420, and my salary is £1300. It isn’t even enough to pay half of my rent. Also, there are concerns that work is contaminated, because before I stopped working, an ambulance was called for someone suspected with coronavirus. And last week two colleagues died. I don’t know if it was the virus, but they don’t give us appropriate material, they don’t give masks or chemicals. We are counting on the support of our union and the press to help us. Thank you.”
Statement – 28.04.2020
CLEANER
“Good evening. [I’m] here making this video in homage to Emmanuel, a work colleague who was a great person and much loved by all of us. He was one of those people that leaves a mark in our hearts. We are really afflicted by what has happened and we very worried by what is happening right now in the Ministry of Justice. We are practically unprotected here. They [the employers] don’t want to give us more masks which are some of the most important pieces of equipment in this pandemic. Yes, really afflicted by what has happened to our colleague. May god hold him in his heart. That is what I wanted to share with all the members of that are here in the union”
Statement – 28.04.2020
CLEANER
“I knew Emanuel from Guinea, he was always a good and polite person, he was very hard working and never missed work and he would always arrived early. We reunited when I moved to the UK. I feel terrible and really sad about his death.
He would never miss work when sick, and in the last few days he was really ill. He had lost his appetite and wasn’t eating, he had flem and seemed to have a fever. He was really sick and I wanted to call an ambulance. Some people thought that an ambulance wouldn’t come and that the hospitals were full so there was no point. I took him home on transport. When we got to Victoria station he didn’t even know where he was.
I spoke to the supervisor. The supervisor said that Emmanuel died from a problem with his heart. I never knew that Emmanuel had heart problems, and when I spoke to the person he lived with they said that the medics didn’t say he died of a heart problem. I don’t know why our supervisor thinks it was a heart problem or who how he would have found that out. I told my supervisor that people are really scared and said that information has to be clear. I asked why we didn’t have masks and gloves. He said we didn’t need gloves. At work we are brothers and we have to look out for each-other.
I found out through colleagues that some other colleagues have been off sick with Coronavirus and one colleague was even in hospital. This virus is scary, the streets are empty, it is very sad and everyone is scared.
The life of a migrant is like that. We come here to work to survive, we have to pay rent and send money home. If you don’t work, you don’t get paid. You can’t do anything about it.”
Statement – 29.04.2020
CLEANER
“It is good to have a union, to have people that can help and reinforce our rights. I saw this morning that someone arrived from the company to ask us one by one, what do we want? what do we need? do you need gloves? Do you need this? Do you need that? They never did that before, since Coronavirus began no one ever came to us not even to ask us what we need what we don’t need. With the pressure of the union and of colleagues, they are starting to respond. Thank you very much for your work. I am very very happy with the support. Maybe we will be saved a bit from that virus.”
Statement – 29.04.2020
CLEANER
“Since we started working with COVD-19, no one from high up came to say to us here are gloves, here is this and that. We asked our supervisor for gloves and he said there aren’t gloves, there is nothing. They don’t give gloves, they don’t give anything… At first they told us to work in groups of three. We said no, we have to work individually as normal, not three together with this virus.”
Statement – 29.04.2020
“I am very sad and angry. Maybe it is because he was a migrant, I don’t know how to explain these things. I don’t understand. He is a human being, they could have done something and they didn’t.”
Statement – 29.04.2020
CLEANER – ADELPHI BUILDING
Currently outsourced to JPCCleaning who works at the Adelphi Building. These are his thoughts and views on Workers Memorial Day.
‘“Hello. My name is Juan Carlos. I’m Bolivian. I work in the cleaning company APC Cleaning. Obviously, I work as a cleaner. So, with this global Covid19 crisis, we are all very worried about what is happening. Especially me, since my son, who is 5 years old, is in the vulnerable category and is at high risk of becoming infected. I’m a member of United Voices of the World (UVW) and I invite everyone to join this union, because we fight for our rights, each and every one of us workers. Today is International Workers’ Memorial Day, to remember workers that have died or been injured at work. My thoughts go out to all of those that are no longer with us. And, for those that are still living with injuries, we continue to fight for better days. Sending love to you. Goodbye and God bless.”
Statement – 28.04.2020
CLEANER – WILLIS BUILDING
Outsourced to Atalian Servest, has recently been send home for a week during lockdown.
‘“While I was cleaning, I was using a mask to try and protect myself and others. Due to this, I received a note form my manager telling me to stop wearing my mask because it was inducing panic and fear in people. […]
But in our job we are surrounded by people constantly, especially because we are working in central London.
This kind of attitude from managers really scared me.”
Statement – 19.03.2020
DOMESTIC SUPERVISOR-ST.MARY’S HOSPITAL
Currently outsourced to Sodexo by Imperial College NHS Trust, deemed an ‘essential worker’ during the Coronavirus pandemic.
‘“[…] On the door of a patients room there was no sign that there was a positive corona virus patient in the room – no none had told us! And domestic, our unit, was cleaning without any protection, not wearing any apron, any mask, NOTHING! We were cleaning like it was a normal room. […] from that moment, actually, I got really scared!”
Statement – 20.03.2020
144 Cambridge Heath Road
London E1 5QJ
07884 553443 (English)
07775 697605 (Español)
info@uvwunion.org.uk
SOCIAL MEDIA