STRIKING catering, cleaning and other support staff working for South London & Maudsley NHS Trust (SLaM) were joined on their picket line at Maudsley by the Trust’s Chief Executive yesterday morning.
GMB members at Maudsley, Ladywell Mental Health, Lewisham and Bethlem Hospital in Bromley, have already taken six days of strike action and are now out for a full week.
David Bradley, Chief Executive at the Maudsley Hospital told News Line: ‘I really want this dispute to be settled. We believe that people should be paid the London Living Wage (LLW), and they deserve a fair wage for the hard work that they do.
‘So I will be taking this up with (private contractor) ISS and I am looking to have them resolve this, so that people can get back to work and earn the money that they deserve. Bringing these jobs back in-house is certainly one option we are looking at.’
Earlier, Bradley told striking staff: ‘In 2019 we gave ISS extra money and we have done so every year since then, over half a million extra each year, which was to pay people the London Living Wage.
‘I can promise you, because I sit on the London Mayor’s committee, to try and increase the London Living Wage everywhere. We have definitely given them this money, and I am going to be talking to ISS. We need to resolve this.’
Responding to Bradley, Lumturige Osmaj, GMB Rep, told him: ‘ISS are really disgraceful. I think they are trying to “buy time”, because they know their contract finishes next May, so they are trying to drag it out so they can exit their contract without giving us our money.’
Speaking to Bradley, Nathan Millen said: ‘ISS should be in court. We appreciate you coming down but we need paperwork. We want to see it in black-and-white. If I withheld money that was meant to be distributed to someone else, I would be in prison.’
Bradley asked: ‘Do you get paid the London Living Wage?’ ‘No!’ was the resounding answer from the picket line.
Bradley concluded: ‘I will look into every aspect of this. That money should have been paid to you, absolutely.’
Striker Florence Gyabi said: ‘The last time we went for a meeting with ISS the offer they made to us was only back pay to last year. Just one year, they owe us four years. We deserve our pay. We work hard.’
Millen said: I don’t trust the talk. Talk is cheap. Politicians smile into your face every day, promising to do this and do that.’
Omaji told News Line: ‘The Chief Executive has just told all of us, that the NHS has been paying ISS half a million pounds each year since 2019 to give to us workers. We are going to remain here, fighting for our money, stronger than ever. We are all together and solid here.’
Daniel Seychelle, GMB local branch officer at Maudsley Hospital, told News Line: ‘If they cared about patients or staff they would pay us what we deserve. If ISS don’t resolve this we are coming out for two weeks then for a month.
‘Tomorrow we are going to Downing Street to shame the company in front of Parliament. Just Wait for Us, ISS!’
