Activists from Bath Ant-Cuts Alliance joined Goan cleaners, GMB unionists, and members of both Swindon Anarchist Group and Bristol Anarchist Federation
yesterday afternoon, the 4th of July, as they held a solidarity
demonstration outside Swindon’s Great Western Hospital. Between ten and
30 strong throughout the day, and receiving much honking support from
passing motorists, the protest was held in support of the ten Carillion
whistle-blowers currently subject to disciplinary procedures.
For background, Carillion, who run the
domestic cleaning contract for GWH and elsewhere, have been criticised
for the culture of institutionalised racism that has infested the
company for years. One element of this racism is their informal
tradition of ‘gift giving’, in which the mainly South Asian workforce
are required to offer either cash or goods to their supervisors in order
to attain the holidays, shift changes or overtime to which they are
lawfully entitled; when this corruption was reported back in 2009, the
staff were not believed. Then in December 2011, when 109 workers filed
the same grievance, the company conducted a sham investigation before
straight-facedly claiming there was nothing to investigate. It was only
after the GMB union carried out their strike (now having racked up 20
days of strikes), and another five months of renewed investigation, and
three sacked managers, that the company partially admitted their error.
Adding insult to injury, now, after all
the cover-ups and foot-dragging, Carillion have had the gall to take the
ten workers brave enough to give evidence about the company’s
shake-downs, and accuse the cleaners themselves of offering bribes!
But these dirty bastards have more
skeletons in their closet; their hatred of unions led them to dismiss
and blacklist engineer Dave Smith –former UCATT safety rep – after he
raised concerns about asbestos and poor toilets. His name was added to
an unlawful blacklist of 3,000 trade unionists, preventing them from
securing future work. For their trouble, he took the company to court.
In the future, in the case of the
Carillion cleaners, expect more strikes, and more lost contracts and
embarrassment for Carillion. The campaigners refuse to back down!
See also the following links:
http://union-news.co.uk/2012/07/whistleblowers-who-exposed-corruption-at-carillion-find-themselves-in-the-dock
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