King’s cleaning staff protest against their contractor

‘We are not the dirt we clean’


Last Friday, students and staff protested against Servest, the contractor that the university’s cleaners are tied to.

King’s cleaners are in dispute with their contractor for unfair workloads, lack of staff cover, payment problems and shortage of uniforms and cleaning equipment.

On their campaign page, it said: “UNISON members working at King’s College London for cleaning contractor Servest have been facing ongoing problems with their employer which have come to a head over the past few months.

“A formal dispute was launched and reps have met the employer at ACAS twice to try and negotiate a way forward.”

ACAS is an organisation helping to prevent and resolve employment disputes. 

On November 21st, Servest staff received a letter explaining that a restructure of the workforce would be taking place and that all jobs are “at risk of significant change or redundancy” with no further details given.

A King’s College London spokesperson said: “King’s College London takes the welfare of all its staff extremely seriously.

“For the provision of certain services we employ contractors, such as Servest, who pay staff the London Living Wage and who can bring high levels of service, expertise, development and environmental management to King’s.

“We are actively working with Servest and the union to help reach a solution to this dispute.”

Follow Unison King’s for updates.