Food services firm Aramark’s caterers at the Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) have won the London Living Wage.
The victory follows after two months of indefinite strike action.
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The contractor has agreed to pay the catering staff £10.55 ($13) an hour, as well as improvement in holiday and sick absence conditions.
UK Public and Commercial Services (PCS) Union general secretary Mark Serwotka said: “This is a fantastic win, only made possible by the sheer determination of our members at BEIS. Taking on a contractor who had the backing of a government department was incredibly brave and these members have shown that where you stick together, you can win.
“We never take strike action lightly but this dispute shows that when there is no alternative, sustained strike action can win.”
The strike action was conducted along with contracted out catering staff who work for ISS World at BEIS.
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By GlobalDataLast year, ISS was awarded a four-year deal, worth £49m, with the department through the Crown Commercial Services ‘Services Framework’. The contract covers the delivery of facilities management services.
In a statement, the trade union said: “PCS members working on the ISS contract at BEIS are still in discussions to find a resolution to their dispute.
“We are continuing to call for all contracted-out staff to be brought back in-house across all government departments.”
