Sian Berry backs justice for cleaners

NEWS: Office of Siân Berry, Green Party candidate for Mayor of London

>>> For immediate use, Wednesday 31st October 2007>>>

CANARY WHARF DEMO: SIÂN BERRY BACKS JUSTICE FOR CLEANERS>>>

Siân Berry, the Green candidate for Mayor of London, has lent her backing to a Hallowe'en demonstration [1] demanding better pay for cleaners. Members of the T&G section of the Unite trade union are > presenting Citigroup with a Hallowe'en pumpkin and the message 'Justice For Cleaners!' between 4pm and 5.30pm this afternoon in a bid to secure better wages for the workers that clean the Canary Wharf offices of the banking giant.

Siân said: "Citigroup is one of the world's biggest companies, with assets worth 1.9 trillion dollars - clearly they can affords to pay their cleaners a living wage. The T&G has my total support in > their campaign, and I hope they can repeat their success in securing pay rises for cleaners at Barclays, Deloitte and KPMG.

"London has the biggest pay gap in the country - women working full time in the capital earn, on average, 23% less than men. A big part of the reason for that is that the largely male upper echelons of financial giants like Citigroup are awash with money, but pay their mostly female cleaners poverty wages.

"We all know London is an expensive place to live, but there's plenty of money to go around if people are treated fairly. The Greater London Authority has calculated that the London Living Wage is £7.20 an hour, but companies that are raking in billions in profit are still paying London workers well below this. Thanks to pressure from the Justice for Cleaners campaign, KPMG is now a Living Wage Employer. Citigroup - will you match that?"


For more information or comment, please contact the office of Siân Berry, details below.

Notes to editors:>> 1. Demonstrators are meeting at the Jubilee line exit of Canary > Wharf tube station at 4pm. The will then proceed to Canary Wharf > to present a pumpkin to Citigroup, and the demonstration is > expected to end around 5.30pm.>> 2. Following the campaign's last demonstration at Canary Wharf, > over 1000 ancillary Barclays staff, including cleaners, received a > payrise of £1.10 per hour. More recent actions have resulted in a > settlement of £7.20ph plus sick pay for Lehman Bros and Deloitte > workers, and £7.70ph for cleaners at KPMG.>> For more information on the Justice For Cleaners campaign, see the > T&G website at http://tinyurl.com/yqzuff or contact Anita Ceravolo > at Unite on 020 7611 2500 or aceravolo@tgwu.org.uk>>