Around 130 outsourced cleaners in Parliament have been warned their jobs are at risk as their employer, Churchill Cleaning, has announced a significant redundancy process.
The company is looking to cut over 1,000 hours of cleaning a week which equates to more than 40 members of staff, or around a third of staff who clean during the work week.
Churchill Cleaning has repeatedly refused to make a voluntary redundancy offer, meaning staff face a compulsory exit.
This news follows a government pledge last week to end 'the era of outsourcing', with new guidance published on public sector procurement.
Dan Anderson, GMB Regional Officer, said:
"This redundancy process is a prime example of why we must end outsourcing in the public sector.
“Churchill Cleaning are placing their bottom line ahead of looking after staff and improving the service, as so many outsourcing firms do.
"They have been unwilling to seriously pursue options to reduce the number of workers who will face compulsory exits, such as voluntary redundancies.
"Such a substantial reduction in the workforce will be devastating for our members, who will either lose their jobs, or stay and face a far heavier workload.
"The cuts will also impact the entire estate and its staff, as the amount of cleaning delivered will inevitably be affected."
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