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London's top-ranking university is facing a backlash from its staff over the low wages it pays to campus cleaners.
Five academics at University College London have written to Professor Malcolm Grant, provost of UCL, to protest at the “grossly inequitable” minimum wages paid to contract cleaners that force them to live below the poverty line.
In a letter dated September 1 seen by the Standard, they say: “We urge you to ensure that UCL pays a London Living Wage [£7.85 an hour] to all employees and others working for UCL, even if employed by agencies with whom UCL has contracted to supply staff.”
The signatories, all academics in UCL's public health department, say similar institutions in London, including LSE and Birkbeck, are already paying their cleaners the London living wage.
Mel Bartley, professor of medical sociology in public health and a signatory to the letter, told the Standard: “Apart from moral issues, there are compelling public health reasons to pay a living wage... People who don't have money for a healthy lifestyle are more likely to suffer obesity and depression, and are more at risk of diabetes or heart disease. By paying minimum wages of £5.80 an hour, UCL are storing up problems that will be paid for later by society at large.”
Dr Jennifer Mindell, clinical senior lecturer in public health and another signatory, said: “Sadly we've not yet had a reply from the provost, though we've been told he's received our letter.”
The provost, whose remuneration of £404,000 last year was the second highest of university heads in the country, has told the Standard that paying contract cleaners a living wage “would cost £500,000” and was “a luxury” UCL “could not afford”.
But campaigners point out that UCL's financial statements show a surplus of £12 million and that since taking up the post in 2003, Professor Grant has vastly increased the pay of top staff: 311 UCL academics now earn more than £100,000 and 18 more than £200,000. These pay levels exceed that of every British university.
Dr Eric Brunner, reader in epidemiology and public health and a third signatory said the provost “seems to be displaying a rather curious set of priorities” if he can “afford to erect new ornate Victorian gates at the entrance to the campus but can't afford to give our worst paid staff a living wage”.
The provost, dubbed “five-star Grant” for his partiality to expensive hotels on business trips, dismissed as “preposterous” the Standard's suggestion that he might “afford” the living wage if he and his top staff took a one per cent pay cut — yet all three signatories we spoke to said they would be “absolutely happy” to take such a cut.
Professor Bartley added that Professor Grant's plan to buy in top academics from around the world — thereby driving UCL to 4th position in the world rankings — had made UCL into “the Chelsea of British universities”. “It can't be right that to attract highly-paid academic stars from around the world, we have to keep our lowest paid workers in poverty. That kind of calculus is morally indefensible.”
Asked whether she was afraid she might get passed over for promotion or sacked for speaking out, Professor Bartley said: “If we don't have the courage to speak out, who will?”
She said that the economic arguments by UCL management “are reminiscent of those used by employers opposing the introduction of minimum wages a few years ago”.
“This just won't wash. It's very disappointing to hear this from an institution founded on principles of social responsibility and to provide equality of opportunity.”
Reader views (26)
All the cleaners like me in UCL they get paid £6 per hour not £5.80. Get your facts right.
- Maria Herrera, London,, 27/09/2010 10:47
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Who on earth does this dude think he is? Ted Turner?
- Neil Pillock MEP, Bangor, 27/09/2010 09:17
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Payment should be according to skills and cleaners are not skilled and hence cannot attract the salary of a professor. Living wage means a person should be able to live and work in London. Grow up, no organisation can pay that at that category, and hence should remain a part-time job.
- James, London, 26/09/2010 22:04
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Poverty wages are not a strange practice around UCL and government departments. The foundations Trust of UCLH (NHS) pay the same for their junior staff (From cleaners to Assistant Technical Officers who labour daily to make sure the hospital functions normally). There is no such a thing as living wage in that organisation. Most of their ATO's are below £7 per hour even after years of experience. Let's hope this will shade more light on the issue and help change the wages of low paid staff
- Daph walker, London, 26/09/2010 00:51
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Simon,
Just as a matter of factual reference, somebody earning £ 200k per annum will pay tax and NI of £ 83,280. Somebody earning £ 400k will pay £ 185,280.
That's not peanuts and funds an awful lot of tax credits.
- Mark (will never vote Labour again), South East London, 25/09/2010 10:51
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Oh for goodness sake. The minimum wage is £5.80. Loads of people in London and elsewhere in the country earn this without all this uproar. Most of these cleaners are economic immigrants and whilst working anti social hours don't even appear to work 40 hours per week. They don't have to take the job. They could go home. Or else they could do as my parents did when they first came to this country 40 years ago. They knew no-one and yet worked like dogs and did without. My parents never complained and never claimed benefits. They had too much pride. And yet they ensured they could properly read and write English which got them adequate jobs. As a result of the scrimping they managed to put both me and my brother through private school (because they value education above everything else), and we as the 2nd generation here are doing very well and paying a great deal of income tax. So I have little sympathy for these cleaners. In India where I am from originally people are lucky to earn £5.80 a day. These economic immigrants don't need to be here. So either put up or shut up. We have plenty of indigenous Brits who earn the same amount. Perhaps we should concern ourselves about them since they were actually born here before we fall into the trap of worrying about the world's poor.
- Susan, London, 24/09/2010 22:09
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It is an outrage and morally repugnant that some people are earning so much whilst claiming that poverty prevents them from ensuring that the lowest paid are receiving a decent wage.
I hope that the cleaners know about 'working tax credits', as they may be entitled to top-up money from the social services.
As for those earning over £200k, well if they earnt a little less they would still be able to afford a life of luxury without condemning others to a life of abject poverty.
With the public spending review in mind (ie: not just this example) people who feel that they are contributing to society & have a liveable income tend to enjoy their lives and want to live in peace with their neighbours. BUT... People who feel exploited and / or that through financial lack their lives are hard, are more likely to steal and riot. Do we want our urban areas to become battlefields again - as in the early 1980's?
The crass insentivity of those earning golden salaries but who pay peanuts will result in us ALL suffering.
Simon
- Simon, Ilford, Essex., 24/09/2010 21:11
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It is true that UCL does not directly set the wages for its cleaners, but it does have a choice not to renew its contracts with those cleaning companies that exploit their workers.
I am a student at UCL, and though I quite like the fact that UCL has risen from 35th to 4th in the global rankings during Grant's tenure, I dislike that it's largely a result of our cleaners being taken to the cleaners.
- Jack, London, 24/09/2010 18:47
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“We urge you to ensure that UCL pays a London Living Wage [http://£7.85 an hour|http://£7.85 an hour] to all employees and others working for UCL, even if employed by agencies with whom UCL has contracted to supply staff.”
Any chance of finding out what the fee of the job agency adds to the rate earned by the cleaners? It probably adds up to much the same as in-house employment at the London Living Wage. But then these essential staff would have employment protection on a par with teaching staff, which is probably what the principal is trying most to avoid.
PS; A query. Are split shifts without a shift allowance legal?
- mdj, london uk, 24/09/2010 18:24
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Where is my living wage. I live on a island with house prices as high as Londons suburbs, also our travel costs are higher, ferries etc, a bus fare to Newport is £4.50 one way, 13 miles from my area. A good percentage of jobs over here are £5.80 per hour and seasonal, our food and petrol prices are higher when transport costs are added on to. So we probably need £10 a hour, can you see us getting that?
- David, Isle of wight, 24/09/2010 17:13
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Yes James, thanks for that.
- Kev, London-UK, 24/09/2010 16:03
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Kevin,
Your obvious difficulty in speaking and writing English suggests you have great difficulty in speaking your native language. Your imbecilic tirade also suggests you and and yours have probably contributed little or nothing to our culture you so want respected (something I agree with). Before you complain about the illiteracy and ignorance of others you might have a look at your own obvious difficiencies.
By the way I need my basement cleaned - perhaps you and yours could oblige
- Paulo, Belisize Park, 24/09/2010 15:55
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Kevin,
Sounds like you should learn to speak and spell English correctly
- James, Richmond, 24/09/2010 15:44
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Im British,i work,my farther did to,and my family are British,and they all work!
People like you make my blood boil, jumping on the bash the British band wagon.
I have no respect for that view,if immigrants where are Saviour!surly if they where so hard working there own countries would be so wealthy they would not wont to be in the uk any way!Get real.
And yes i do find there language hideous,and they have no manners, and they have/show no respect for our culture.
I suggest this country is in the state it is in now because of immigration,and i dont think we should encourage lower class unskilled labor
,we dont need it,hence there low wage, no demand for them.
- Kev, London-UK, 24/09/2010 14:31
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This is a brilliant, really moving piece of journalism. Congratulations.
- Phil, New, 24/09/2010 14:29
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Well VN you are quite right, however I don't recal you being so scathing of the lady from Catford of West Indies descent who had 11 kids, by five different men who was watching Sky all day picking up £ 36 per annum; In fact you defended it!!! You are right again that the World doesn't owe anybody a living but similar the UK does not owe the World a living either.
Still that's the point is it. Most if not all of the people involved are economic migrants and they choose to come this country and ultimately that choice has forced them to take a job paying minimum wage. If they are finding London a little expensive to live then there are other places around the UK, where things are cheaper. They could even consider working in another country or returning home, but they don't they just moan about how much they are getting paid.
With millions unemployed at the moment it's an employers market. Simple economics.
Whether UCL can or cannot afford to pay their claeaning company more is immaterial, they seem to be paying the going-rate. Of course the cleaning comapny could always pay them more, out of their mark-up.
The minimum wage is a luxury compared with what they used to pay people for doing these types of jobs; jobs which British people did in their millions, until the door was opened to cheap foreign labour who undercut them.
- Mark, Gerrymandered African Republic of Southwark, 24/09/2010 14:11
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Im a cleaner at UCL and Ramon works for the same company as me, if is saying that is been paid £5.80 per hour is a lair, and I now that was him that ask for more hours and the only hours they offer to him as in the afternoon he choice to work at UCL, and he new how much is was gone to be paid. Yes I like to get paid more but im happy to have job that no job. And is not only south American cleaners working with me they are from Africa, Europe and some Ingles People to.
- Maria Herrera, London,, 24/09/2010 14:08
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It’s not just old 5 star Malcolm Grant and UCL academics who enjoy disproportionately high salaries and bonuses, it even applies to UCL administrators. Last year the Admin head of UCL’s in-house patent management organisation got an eye-watering 15% pay rise on a salary of over £K100 plus a £K25 bonus. Bingo!! How can you justify that in these hrash times and when you're exploiting cheap labour. It is endemic and socially unacceptable for a university founded on egalitarian principles.
No further comment necessary.
- David A, Central London, UK, 24/09/2010 13:53
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@ Mark and Kev, it could be argued that if many Brits weren't so lazy and were willing to work for a living rather than sitting on the sofa watching Jeremy Kyle (or appearing on it) smoking fags and knocking back lager that my taxes have paid for there would not be the need for these hard working, tax paying S. Americans to be here. The world doesn't owe you a living because of your nationality.
I find it outrageous that in 21st century London such overt exploitation exists. UCL can clearly afford to employ an agency that pays their staff a living wage. It's a lie and immoral to suggest otherwise.
- Veritas Noire, Purley, 24/09/2010 13:26
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I agree with the staff that the lower paid employees need to be paid more. So well done all of you and now take a pay cut to finance this and put your money where your mouth is!
- Mike, Sutton, 24/09/2010 12:53
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I think we would all like to join in to encourage the proctor, Malcolm Grant, not to be such a skinflint. He obviously has no problem in worrying about cash when it comes to milking the college for his own unbelievably high (and probably undeserved) salary.
- Justin Thyme, London, 24/09/2010 11:58
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Why don't the bleeding heart academics do a whip round for the cleaners?
- Anonymous pedant (& UCL alumnus), Chiswick, 24/09/2010 11:58
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The mans morals are repulsive, and there is no way the idiot is worth over 400k a year. He has hired people from overseas on a seemingly large scale, to protect his own position (they are probably on fat contracts and wont rock the boat).There is huge unemployment in the UK and Europe as a whole, lets get rid of him and his Southern Hemisphere chancers, and create an oppotunity to develope academics from the UK and European Union.
- Nigel Williams, Madrid Spain., 24/09/2010 11:54
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@ Steve, Brentford
Firstly UCL doesn't expect them to do anything, their employer does. UCL's outsources its cleaning! Their employer could pay them a living wage and then charge UCL that plus their NIC liability, plus their mark-up and VAT. UCL then decides whether they want to pay that or not; if they don't all those cleaners will be laid off and then, probably, re-employed, by the firm who is willing to do it cheaper.
Alternatively these people could always find jobs nearer to home, in Brazil or wherever they came from!!!
- Mark, Gerrymandered African Republic of Southwark, 24/09/2010 11:51
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Whilst agreeing that these workers should be paid the London Living Wage and treated fairly and equally in all aspects of their employment, they are employed by a contract cleaning agency, not UCL, and it is the agency that sets their wages, not UCL - at least, that is my understanding of the way employment agencies work. I would be interested to know how much UCL is paying the agency per hour for these workers. Perhaps this is something that should be looked into. I have heard of instances where large companies and organisations have "contracted out" their services and the agencies charge the organisation three times (or even more) as much as they are paying the workers. This is especially the case where immigrant workers are concerned, and the practice is set to grow as more and more large organisations (e.g. Sainsbury's and other large supermarket chains) stop employing staff directly but contract out to agencies, thus relieving themselves of the responsibility and costs of a direct labour force.
- Pam, London, UK, 24/09/2010 11:05
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If UCL Hanen't got the money to pay the minimum wage and also expect these people to travel in and out twice a day for their two 3 hour shifts then how the hell can they find FOUR HUNDRED GRAND a year to pay this arrogant t*****.
- Steve, Brentford, 24/09/2010 10:56
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