Islington street cleaners protest outside Town Hall at use of agency staff

Published: 25th March, 2011
by PETER GRUNER

AN investigation has been launched into claims that long-serving street cleaners and rubbish collection workers are being phased out and replaced by lower-paid agency staff with less training.

Angry workers demonstrated outside Islington town hall yesterday (Thursday). Labour council leader Councillor Catherine West came out onto the town hall steps and told them she “needed time to examine the issues”. 

She added: “If there’s been an injustice then that needs to be resolved.”

Union officials accused the council’s private contractor, Enterprise Islington, of employing more and more cheaper agency labour.

The union also alleged that there was one rule for non-agency manual workers employed by Enterprise Islington – who can lose up to £30 for a day off with injury or illness – and another for council officials, who were not similarly penalised.  

Cllr West accepted a petition from the GMB union and promised to investigate its claims.

GMB union branch secretary Gary Doolan, who is a St Peter’s ward Labour councillor, led the protest.

He accused Enterprise Islington, the council’s cleansing contractor, of employing up to 80 agency staff a week – nearly a third of the 280 workforce – paying them the basic minimum wage of £170 a week (after tax) compared to an average £230. 

Cllr Doolan said: “It’s exploiting people on a grand scale. How can anyone afford to live in Islington on £170 a week?” 

His message was: “Invest in your workforce, you get the best out of them. 

“When you employ Tom, Dick and Harriet you don’t get the best service. 

“We are worried that agency staff who are cheap are replacing full-time employees.” 

Cllr Doolan said non-agency manual workers were also being unfairly penalised when they took time off for sickness.

“If you are genuinely ill with a doctor’s note you shouldn’t be deducted a penny,” he said. “But many of our workers are losing money right from the first day of illness or injury. 

“They can lose up to £30 a day. But apparently officers are not affected in the same way.”  

Addressing the workers, Cllr West said that she and her colleagues would listen to what they have to say.

“We have inherited a previous Lib Dem council which claimed to listen but didn’t,” she said. “All we ask is that you give us time to examine the issues. 

“These are extremely difficult days. We need to find value for money if we’re going to avoid making serious cuts to our services. But if there is an injustice then it needs to be resolved. 

“We will look at all the employment procedures and see where the problems are.”