UK: Migrant cleaners experience precarity amid labour rights abuse, says union, after Ecuadorian cleaner dismissed for eating leftover sandwich; incl. co response & cos comments
There are so many stories like mine that most people never get to hear…and in most cases, the people involved are staying silent because of their vulnerability, and their fear.Gabriela Rodriguez, migrant cleaner for Total Clean
Reporting by The Guardian in August 2024 highlights the precarity experienced by migrant workers in cleaning and facilities management in London amid complex employment structures with multiple layers of subcontracting. The article discusses the case of the Ecuadorian cleaner Gabriela Rodriguez, employed by Total Clean, who was dismissed for eating a leftover sandwich while cleaning London law firm Devonshires.
Total Clean dismissed her both from her job at Devonshires and from her second job at clothing company Stradivarius. Her dismissal led to financial uncertainty for her and her family.
The worker also describes other abuses alongside the dismissal, including unreasonable working hours for pay at or close to the minimum wage. The worker also alleges she submitted a complaint about missing wages to Total Clean in the days prior to her dismissal. Total Clean allegedly then called her a ‘defensora del pueblo’ (defender of the people).
The worker has since led a protest rally at Finsbury Circus, London.
United Voices of the World is now taking Total Clean and Devonshires to an employment tribunal under a claim of unfair dismissal. The union highlights the frequency of cases such as this in the cleaning sector, describing another case of arbitrary dismissal for a worker from Burkina Faso, who was dismissed by Cleanology for her job at Etc.venues.
There is a widespread perception that migrant workers are not equals in the workplace … and an assumption, too, that – because of language barriers, a lack of confidence and the absence of union representation – they won’t resist if bosses take liberties with their rights.Molly de Dios Fisher, organiser at the United Voices of the World trade union
Cleanology claims that her sacking was entirely lawful and rejects any suggestion of discrimination; Ect.Venues did not respond to the journalist's request for comment.
Devonshires said Rodriguez was employed by Total Clean and that her dismissal took place without the law firm’s knowledge. The company said it would not object to the worker working on their premises and that it had encouraged Total Clean to reinstate her.
Total Clean declined to comment on the case to The Guardian. In its employment tribunal, the company denied the ‘defensora del pueblo’ comment but said Rodriguez had submitted a missing wages complaint.
In August 2024, Business & Human Rights Resource Centre invited Stradivarius to respond to the article. Stradivarius' response can be read in full below.