Living Wage Foundation accused of accrediting firms not paying the living wage
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Facilities giant called ‘uncaring’ by low-paid cleaners, who believed they were covered by a fair-pay pledge. Low-paid cleaners have accused the Living Wage Foundation of giving accreditation to an “uncaring” outsourcing company paying less than the living wage.
Facilities services giant OCS is accredited under a bespoke scheme for outsourcing firms. But the company has only committed to paying a living wage to its centrally employed staff. The scheme does not cover the majority of OCS’s 50,000 workforce, who are tied to external contracts.
Staff at OCS who clean the British Airways headquarters and its Heathrow offices only receive £11.44 an hour, which is the minimum permitted by the government. Their pay is below the foundation’s current living wage rate of £12.60 across the UK and £13.85 an hour in London.
OCS, which posted UK operating profits of £28.3m in 2023, states on its website it is “championing fair wages” as part of the scheme. One cleaner, who asked not to be named, claimed the reality was very different to the image OCS, formerly Office Cleaning Services, presented to the world: “It is not true… they are treating us like slaves … it is very, very unfair.”.
She claimed the cleaners’ repeated requests for higher pay had been ignored. The workers have joined the Unite union and are currently balloting for strike action. “We have been fighting for a pay rise for three years. We have written letters. We have spoken to managers,” she said. “No one has taken any action so we have all joined the union to fight back.”.
