Security Workers to Strike Over Pay and Union Rights

Photo Courtesy: UCL Security on Twitter

Article by Lara Gabbitas

On 26th September, UCL security staff voted unanimously to take strike action over pay and union recognition. The strike is part of a larger campaign against outsourcing, and will start on 14th November. 

Staff are demanding their hourly pay to be increased to £15 an hour, the same nominal wage that security workers received before outsourcing began 20 years ago. Currently, security workers are paid between £13 to £14. To be paid the same real term wage as 20 years ago, security workers would need a £10 hourly pay rise.

UCL security workers are outsourced to Bidvest Noonan. The company, in addition to accusations of low pay, is  also responsible for repeated payroll errors and failure to pay correct pension contributions.  A UCL security officer, Farhana Uddin, reported that she had to take out two payday loans due to Bidvest Noonan’s mistakes. 

The majority of UCL security workers are represented by The Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB). Both UCL and Bidvest Noonan have refused to recognise the union, continuing the tradition of shutting workers out from decision-making processes.  

Bidvest Noonan is one of the many companies that UCL has outsourced employees to. Previous subcontractor, Axis, was accused of similar grievances, and also attempted to cut workers’ hours without consultation. 

The security  workers’ strike is part of a larger campaign against UCL’s two-tiered employment system. Outsourced workers receive less holiday, pension entitlements, and sick pay than in-house workers. Additionally, the majority of outsourced jobs are filled by BAME and migrant workers. Maritza Castillo Calle, Vice-President of IWGB, said: “this is a clear case of institutional racism by a university that purports to be progressive and inclusive, and must end at once”.  

Despite UCL committing to review the outsourcing model following strike action in 2019, no progress has been made. In May, hundreds of UCL cleaners, porters, and security officers (many of whom are on zero-hour contracts) launched a campaign to be employed in-house, however UCL management still refuses to engage with the IWGB regarding outsourcing.