Government cleaners and security guards

Early day motion 161, tabled 13 June 2022 by Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party). Signed by 43 members.

That this House notes with grave concern the unacceptable ways in which cleaning and security staff were treated by officials during the rule-breaking parties at 10 Downing Street identified in the Sue Gray report; find the multiple examples of a lack of respect and poor treatment of security and cleaning staff abhorrent; further notes that the Government needs to tackle what the PCS union calls a culture of bullying, harassment and sexism in No 10 Downing Street towards cleaners and custodians; believes that disrespect is shown to nearly every cleaner and security guard employed on the UK civil service estate in terms of their low pay and inferior employment conditions compared to their directly employed civil service colleagues; is concerned that the civil service tenders most outsourced Facilities Management contracts on the absolute minimum employment terms possible such as only requiring the supplier to pay the statutory minimum wage and statutory sick pay; remembers that Emanuel Gomez, a cleaner at the Ministry of Justice headquarters employed by OCS continued to work despite having covid symptoms because OCS did not provide occupational sick pay and tragically died of covid; and calls on the Government to honour the memory of Emanuel, to show true respect to Downing Street cleaners and security guards and to all government facilities management staff by making the Living Wage Foundation’s Living Wage the minimum pay rate on all contracts let by the Crown and that the payment of occupational sick pay a requirement of awarding those contracts.

Signatures by party: Scottish National Party 17, Labour 16, Plaid Cymru 3, Independent 2, Labour/Co-operative 2, Alba 1, Green 1, Liberal Democrat 1.