Support Cleaners at SOAS

I have been passed the following urgent appeal from Sandy Nicoll, Secretary of the UNISON Branch at the School of Oriental and African Studies;



"SOAS Justice for Cleaners Lobby of SOAS Governing Body Outsourced Contracts Working Group

Wednesday 20 March 2013, 1pm, Main SOAS Building



The decision on whether our members working for the cleaning contractors will be brought back in house, a move supported by over 98% of the 1,300 staff and students who took part in the SOAS Community Consultative Referendum held last December, will be taken in the next few months.



The Working Group set up by Governing Body to look into this issue will be meeting on Wednesday 20 March and a very important lobby of this meeting has been called by the SOAS Justice for Cleaners Campaign supported by the SOAS UNISON branch.



We are asking you if you could:



1. Attend the lobby at 1pm and email your branches to encourage other members to attend;



2. Write to your local UCU branches asking for them to do the same;



3. Write or email your support for the Campaign to Donald Beaton, SOAS Registrar and Secretary who is coordinating the Working Group (d.beaton@soas.ac.uk).



We are hoping that if we can show the strength of feeling that exists over this issue then the School will have to take note and end the discrimination these workers face. We have fought long and hard to ensure that outsourced workers at SOAS are treated with the dignity and respect they deserve. We will also be hosting a speaker from the Sussex occupation the same evening (details to follow). We may be heading in that direction if the School doesn't begin to move!"



I can't attend tomorrow's lobby but have sent an email as requested - please do the same!

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