Cleaners crank up the pressure in wage war

08 November 2007

The Justice for Cleaners campaigning against Citigroup

A GROUP of underpaid office workers chose Halloween to put the frighteners on their bosses by staging a wage protest in Canary Wharf.

The Justice for Cleaners campaign, backed by a number of trades unions, represents hundreds of cleaners working at Docklands firms. And they staged a noisy protest (pictured right) under the tall towers of Canada Square, where investment bank Citigroup's offices are based.

Around 40 cleaners and campaigners, wearing Halloween horror costumes, shouted their demands to Citigroup bosses.

Cleaners at Citigroup earn around £6.70 per hour and the campaign wants to see them paid the London Living Wage of £7.20 an hour.

Established by a research unit at City Hall under Ken Livingston, the London Living Wage has produced the £7.20 figure which it believes to be the actual minimum pay needed to live in the capital.

Organiser Paul Davies said: "We're calling on Citigroup to clean up its act over pay, just as its cleaners look after their offices. Other City and Canary Wharf businesses have agreed to pay the London Living Wage, why not Citigroup?".

Previous negotiations led accountants Deloittes and investment bank Lehman Brothers to raise their cleaners' wages to £7.20 an hour, while KPMG boosted theirs from £7.15 to £7.45.

Protesters claim that Citigroup languish at the bottom of the Docklands' pay league at £6.70 an hour and no sick pay. Their last pay rise was nearly two years ago.