Zarah ChoudharyWorkers employed by facilities services firm OCS to clean British Airways’ offices at Heathrow are to strike over pay.
OCS is accredited by the Living Wage Foundation for paying its directly employed staff the real living wage of £12.60 an hour and £13.85 an hour in London.
However, Unite warned that most of OCS’ 50,000 employees are not covering by the real living wage, because the outsourcing company does not pay it to workers on its external contracts.
This has resulted in OCS’ BA workers being paid the legal minimum wage of £11.44 an hour.
According to the union, poverty pay has resulted in some workers, who wear BA branded uniforms, having to use foodbanks, while others are struggling to pay their rent.
Sharon Graham, general secretary at Unite, said: “It is rank hypocrisy for OCS to boast about being a real living wage employer when its BA staff are on poverty wages and having to use foodbanks.
“The Living Wage Foundation should not be allowing race-to-the-bottom outsourcers like OCS to take cover under its good name.
“Both OCS and BA are hugely profitable and can well afford to pay these workers fairly and decently. Unite will support them in their strike action until that happens.”
OCS made operating profits of £28.3m in 2023, while BA’s parent company, IAG, made £1.7bn during the peak summer season last year.
The workers are based at BA’s offices at Heathrow airport and will strike from 25th to 28th February.
Escalating industrial action is planned if a satisfactory pay offer is not put forward.
Martin West, regional officer at Unite, said: “There is still time to avoid industrial action but that will require OCS to put forward a fair pay offer.
“This dispute will continue to escalate and does reflect well on either OCS or BA – it is in both companies’ interests to resolve it.”
Workplace Journal has reached out to OCS for a statement.
