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To: Cllr Douglas Reid, Cllr Joe Cullinane, Cllr Douglas Campbell

Support a Living Wage for Ayrshire School Cleaners!

School cleaners in 13 local schools across Ayrshire aren’t being paid the Living Wage, despite Scottish Government and local councils claiming to be committed to it.

School cleaners employed by local schools contractor, Mitie, are paid around £1 an hour less, whilst janitors in the 13 schools are also paid less, than other council staff doing exactly the same jobs. This isn't fair and GMB Scotland, the union for school support staff, say enough is enough.

Why is this important?

As the new school term gets underway, school cleaners and janitors employed across Ayrshire by the local schools contractor, Mitie, are taking to the streets to campaign against their second-class treatment by Mitie and the local council.

GMB Scotland, the union for school support staff, is stepping up its campaign for a Living Wage for school cleaners. GMB Scotland is also demanding that janitors working in local schools, which are operated on behalf of North, South and East Ayrshire councils by the contractor, Mitie, are paid at least the same as council employed janitors. Members of the public across Ayrshire will be asked to sign petitions backing the cleaners and janitors at special street stalls organised by the union in Kilmarnock, Ayr and Irvine over the next few weeks.

In each of the 13 Mitie managed schools across Ayrshire low paid, predominantly women, workers are being treated as second class citizens with the full knowledge of the political leadership of local councils. School cleaners employed by Mitie are paid nearly £1 below the Scottish Living Wage, currently £8.75 an hour, which is paid as a minimum to every other council worker. Many of these workers transferred to Mitie's employment from the local council but have seen their pay erode year on year compared to their colleagues, doing the same jobs, and still employed by the council. There are even examples of women working in school kitchens and also as school cleaners who see their rate of pay drop when they change a council overall for a Mitie one.

Sign below to support GMB Scotland’s campaign for all our school staff to earn at least the Living Wage and for fair pay for all school support staff, no matter what school they work in.

Ayrshire

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Updates

2018-08-29 16:35:35 +0100

50 signatures reached

2018-08-21 22:59:29 +0100

25 signatures reached

2018-08-20 21:04:21 +0100

10 signatures reached