Mitie must pay East Lancashire cleaning staff in full or face legal action, warns UNISON
Facilities firm Mitie must pay its staff working at NHS sites across East Lancashire in full or it risks facing legal action, UNISON warned on Monday.
The union says more than 20 workers have been underpaid for months, leaving some of them facing extreme financial hardship and struggling to meet bills and health treatment costs.
The staff work at nine NHS sites* and are outsourced to Mitie. The underpayments began in June when they were employed by another facilities company OCS. The problem continued when they were transferred to Mitie in August. Some staff are now almost £1,000 out of pocket, says UNISON.
One worker, who is currently undergoing chemotherapy, is owed nearly £750 and says she is struggling to find the money to cover transport to her treatment sessions.
The staff are being financially supported by UNISON and the union says if Mitie fails to pay up, then all options will be considered to recover the money.
UNISON North West regional organiser Rebecca Lumberg said: “Mitie’s refusal to pay these already low-paid staff what they’re owed is damaging their mental health and pushing many of them to the brink financially.
“People are struggling to find the money for vital health treatments and to cover essential costs like food and bills.
“Employers should pay staff properly. If Mitie refuses to rectify this appalling situation, then UNISON will consider any available options to get their money back.”
One Mitie worker, who wished to remain anonymous for fear of disciplinary action, said: “It’s not just affecting me, my whole family are feeling the impact. I’m exhausted and stressed beyond belief. I had to have a home visit from the mental health team. We deserve to be paid fully and fairly.”
The affected staff work across nine sites and are employed on a contract between the Department of Health's Community Health Partnerships and Mitie. The sites include St Peter’s Health Centre, Burnley, Briercliffe Health Centre, and Yarnspinners Health Centre in Nelson.
UNISON is the UK’s largest union with more than 1.3 million members providing public services in education, local government, the NHS, police services, and energy. They are employed in the public, voluntary, and private sectors.