Please send this e-mail in support of the cleaners fight against wage theft at La Retraite Roman Catholic Girls’ School

Dear Francois, COO of Ecocleen, and Dominic, Head of La Retraite Roman Catholic Girls’ School I am writing to you following the shocking news…

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To: Francois, COO of Ecocleen & Dominic, Head of La Retraite

Dear Francois, COO of Ecocleen, and Dominic, Head of La Retraite Roman Catholic Girls' School

I am writing to you following the shocking news that 13 of the cleaners at La Retraite Roman Catholic Girls' School have had almost a whole month’s wages withheld by the School’s contractor Ecocleen. This will result in devastating consequences for them including potentially having to rely on food banks or exploitative high interest loans just so they and their children can survive and subsist until their next paycheck. Some of the cleaners - several of whom are single mums - even risk being so out of pocket they may not be able to afford to even pay the transport costs to work anymore and therefore risk being plunged into further poverty.

I understand that Ecocleen is defending its decision to withhold their wages on the basis that the cleaners did not attend work and that they are exercising their “no work, no pay” policy. However, the cleaner’s decision to refuse to work was lawful and protected by section 44 of the Employment Rights Act 1996.

Specifically, following the closure of school to all but vulnerable children and those of key workers after the second more contagious and deadly variant of COVID-19 began to push the UK towards the highest death rates and infection rates in the world, Ecocleen failed to make any material adjustments to the cleaner’s working patterns and practices and expected them to carry on as normal leaving them exposed to unforgivably high risks of contracting COVID-19.

In fact, I understand that Ecocleen failed to even carry out a risk assessment with them and, indeed, had never carried out a risk assessment with them since the outbreak of COVID-19 in March 2020.

Only after weeks of their ‘walk out’ did Ecocleen finally agree to fulfil its legal duties and carry out a risk assessment. This resulted in identifying several changes that were required to minimise the risks the cleaner's previously faced.  I understand that these changes included an improved supply of PPE &amp; hand gel, staggered start and finish times, alternate working days to reduce the number of cleaners on site at any given time, temperature checks at the start of their shifts, and the abolishment of the requirement for cleaners to sign in and out in the same small, cramped room as one another using one single telephone which put them at high risk of transmitting COVID-19 to one another.

I understand that as soon as these changes were implemented on 8th February 2021 that the cleaners promptly returned to work. Given that these changes could and should have been made sooner, and it was only because of their refusal to work that these changes were eventually made, the cleaners' were right to refuse to work and there is therefore no legal or moral justification to punish them by not paying them.

I also understand that by not paying the cleaner's wages that Ecolceen may effectively make a profit which, at the cost of the cleaner’s dignity and deprivation, is morally reprehensible.

And whether or not it is Ecocleen or La Retraite which is legally liable for the cleaners’ wages it was, according to Ecocleen, La Retraite who refused to initially agree to many of the cleaners’ demands which have now been met. This at least makes La Retirate morally responsible for the hardship the cleaner's now face.

And La Retraite also has an additional moral duty - particularly as a Roman Catholic School - to ensure that its contractor’s practices are in keeping with the School’s own Ethos to “Act Justly and treat everyone as equals” which is clearly not how the cleaners are currently being treated. Indeed, some of them have even reported feeling that they are treated like the dirt they clean.

I understand that the cleaner's trade union UVW will be taking Ecocleen to court to recover their wages, and that the cleaners have already voted to strike over other issues such as the refusal to give them the same sick pay scheme as the rest of the La Retraite community, and to be paid the London Living Wage which has been promised but still not implemented.  But they should not have to take legal action or strike action to be treated with respect and dignity and as equals.

Everyday that goes by without paying the cleaners' wages is another day of injustice and another day that the cleaner's will have to suffer the indignity of abject poverty. Please therefore do the lawful and morally correct thing as a matter of urgency and pay the cleaners’ wages now and give them full pay sick pay like everyone else at La Retraite.

I look forward to confirmation by the end of the day that this situation has been resolved.

Sincerely,

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