No Borders North East have decided to answer the national call out for a demo outside the AMEY offices to support the sacked migrant workers. We will meet at 8.30am at the Central Station on Monday 8th December and go on to picket the Newcastle office.
National Call Out: SOLIDARITY WITH SACKED MIGRANT WORKERS
There will be a noisy demo outside Amey PLC’s Corporate HQ in Oxford called by the Campaign Against Immigration Controls, and the No Borders Network. In September this year 5 migrant cleaners were sacked by Amey Plc for “bringing the company into disrepute”. How were they damaging the company image? By belonging to a Trade Union and telling other staff at the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) in London where they work what was happening to them. Since them they have had their appeal against dismissal rejected.
Julio (one of the sacked cleaners) recently described how Amey were contracted by the National Physical Laboratory to do the cleaning work. Originally there were 36 Latin American cleaners. When Amey took over the contract at NPL the cleaners were paid £7.10 per hour. The company were surprised at this rate of pay and so attempted to get rid of those workers contracted at this rate of pay.
Their first act was to reduce the levels of staffing. When the workers resisted the company responded using intimidation. On one occasion the workers were invited to a health and safety training session. Once in the room 60 police and immigration officers entered. Some of the workers did not have the papers needed to work and have since been deported. But this did not deter the other workers who knew their rights and continued to show a tremendous spirit of solidarity and courage.
No Borders Groups from Bristol, Oxford, London & South Wales are attending. It would be great see other groups and individuals there.
No Borders North East 