Уборщики офисов British Airways устроили забастовку в штаб-квартире лондонского аэропорта Хитроу

dailyblitz.de 4 часы назад

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LONDON- British Airways (BA) office cleaners employed by facilities services firm OCS are on strike over low wages, demanding fair pay.

Workers are staging protests outside both British Airways’ headquarters and OCS’ offices as industrial action escalates.

British Airways Office Cleaners Strike

British Airways (BA) office cleaners at London Heathrow, employed by OCS, have launched a strike over inadequate wages.

The workers argue that they are being paid significantly less than the real living wage despite OCS being accredited by the Living Wage Foundation.

Their dissatisfaction has led to planned demonstrations outside British Airways’ headquarters and OCS’ Feltham offices.

The protests aim to highlight the pay disparity between OCS’ directly employed staff, who receive the foundation’s real living wage of £12.60 per hour nationwide and £13.85 per hour in London, and the British Airways office cleaners, who earn only the legal minimum wage of £11.44 per hour.

This financial strain has forced some employees to rely on food banks and struggle with rent payments in one of the world’s most expensive cities.

The strike began with a four-day walkout in late February, with further industrial action scheduled from 15 to 22 March. Demonstrations are set to take place at key locations:

Monday, 17 March (13:00 – 15:00): Protest outside OCS’ Feltham office (TW14 0RX).
Tuesday, 18 March (09:30 – 11:00): Demonstration outside British Airways’ headquarters in West Drayton (UB7 0GA).

Unite, the workers’ trade union, has warned that the strikes will escalate if their demands are not met.

Financial Disparities

Despite the workers’ financial struggles, OCS reported £28.3 million in operating profits in 2023, while British Airways’ parent company, IAG, generated £1.7 billion in profit during the peak summer season.

The union argues that both companies have the financial means to offer fair wages but continue to underpay their workers.

Unite General Secretary Sharon Graham criticized OCS, stating: “It is sheer hypocrisy for OCS to claim it is a real living wage employer while its British Airways staff are struggling on poverty pay and forced to rely on food banks.”

She reaffirmed the union’s support for the workers until fair wages are secured.