Foreign Office cleaners disciplined for raising low pay concerns

-

Foreign.office.london300

Cleaners at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London who complained to foreign secretary, Philip Hammond, about their low levels of pay, are being disciplined by their employers.

The 14 cleaning staff raised the issue of the living wage in the letter and have since received documents from cleaning contractor Interserve asking them to attend an interview that could lead to their suspension from work, or redundancy. Inteserve say the letter is unrelated to the meeting.

However the letter from Interserve, says they are under investigation for “bringing the contract into disrepute”and the Hammond letter was enclosed as evidence.

HRreview Logo

Get our essential weekday HR news and updates.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Keep up with the latest in HR...
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
Optin_date
This field is hidden when viewing the form

 

Cleaners at the FCO are currently paid just over the minimum wage, at £7.05 an hour, which will rise to the government’s so-called “national living wage” of £7.20 an hour for over-25s from next April.

Robert joined the HRreview editorial team in October 2015. After graduating from the University of Salford in 2009 with a BA in Politics, Robert has spent several years working in print and online journalism in Manchester and London. In the past he has been part of editorial teams at Flux Magazine, Mondo*Arc Magazine and The Marine Professional.

Latest news

Personalising the Benefits Experience: Why Employees Need More Than Just Information

This article explores how organisations can move beyond passive, one-size-fits-all communication to deliver relevant, timely, and simplified benefits experiences that reflect employee needs and life stages.

Grant Wyatt: When the love dies – when staying is riskier than quitting

When people fall out of love with their employer, or feel their employer has fallen out of love with them, what follows is rarely a clean exit.

£30bn pension savings window opens for employers ahead of 2029 reforms

UK employers could unlock billions in National Insurance savings by expanding pension salary sacrifice schemes before new limits take effect in 2029.

Expat jobs ‘fail early as costs hit $79,000 per worker’

International assignments are ending early due to family strain, isolation and poor preparation, as rising costs increase pressure on employers.
- Advertisement -

The Great Employer Divide: What the evidence shows about employers that back parents and carers — and those that don’t

Understand the growing divide between organisations that effectively support working parents and carers — and those that don’t. This session shows how to turn employee experience data into a clear business case, linking care-related pressures to performance, retention and workforce stability.

Scott Mills exit puts spotlight on risk of ‘news vacuum’ in high-profile dismissals

Sudden departure of a long-serving BBC presenter raises questions about how employers manage high-profile dismissals and limit speculation.

Must read

Armin Hopp: Should employees choose their own development opportunities?

Staff churn is a costly exercise and disruptive to business and customer service. Employee desire to change jobs can be due to a number of complex factors but there is no doubt that learning opportunities ranging from vocational skills through to soft skills such as language and communications competencies can help to create and maintain employee loyalty and drive richer career development opportunities throughout the organisation.

Putting Policy into Practice

Getting people to read your Health & Safety Policy is difficult, but persuading them to put it into practice can be even more problematical. Duncan Spencer tells us more.
- Advertisement -

You might also likeRELATED
Recommended to you