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UEL implements new higher London Living Wage for cleaning staff

Thursday 16 June 2011

Arthur Edwards Entrance, Stratford Campus

The University of East London has today announced that it has appointed a new cleaning contractor that will pay its employees the new London Living Wage (LLW) of £8.30 per hour, as announced by Boris Johnson in May. The LLW will be implemented as soon as the contract commences on 1 August 2011, despite the tender process having commenced before the announcement of the new LLW.

After a tendering process that saw submissions from a number of companies, the University agreed to engage contract cleaning specialists, Nviro. UEL’s procurement process was also informed by a series of recommendations put forward by Unison and other representatives of staff working through contracts with the current supplier Ocean.

Nviro has committed to working closely with UEL in supporting and developing its staff in line with UEL’s values. This includes paying all staff who work for UEL the London Living Wage, offering NVQ L2 qualifications to managers, and encouraging staff to develop their skills and talents to enable them to progress within the company.

Vice-Chancellor, Professor Patrick McGhee, said: “I am pleased to announce UEL’s new partnerships with Nviro. Throughout the appointments process they have not only shown their commitment to providing a high quality of service, but also to the training and development of their staff and to ensuring environmental sustainability.

I very much welcome the recent increase in the London Living Wage and believe that it is an essential tool in combating poverty in our city. I have therefore also instructed that it be in place on day one of the new contract rather than waiting until next year.”

All cleaning staff who are currently working with Ocean Contract Cleaning will be offered a position with Nviro under the UEL Transfer of Undertakings/ Protection of Employment (TUPE) arrangements.

Notes to Editors

The University of East London (UEL) is a global learning community with over 28,000 students from over 120 countries world-wide. Our vision is to achieve recognition, both nationally and internationally, as a successful and inclusive regional university proud of its diversity, committed to new modes of learning which focus on students and enhance their employability, and renowned for our contribution to social, cultural and economic development, especially through our research and scholarship. We have a strong track-record in widening participation and working with industry.

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