NAC Contractor Mitie Makes It 2-In-A-Row For GMB ‘Christmas Scrooge’ Award

NAC contractor Mitie makes it 2-in-a-row for GMB ‘Christmas scrooge’ award

It’s an unwanted but well deserved ‘two-in-a-row’ for North Ayrshire Council (NAC) contractor Mitie as GMB Scotland announced that the giant facilities firm is once again its ‘Christmas Scrooge’ award winner.

GMB has been campaigning in recent years for Mitie to pay its workers on local government contracts the living wage rate, currently £8.45 an hour, matching the minimum hourly rate of directly employed council workers across Scotland’s thirty-two local authorities.

Despite widespread criticism from trade unions and politicians, Mitie, which made an operating profit over of £128 million this year, has refused to pay the living wage, affecting cleaners and janitors in Stanley Primary, Greenwood Academy, St Matthew’s Academy and Arran High.

GMB Scotland Organiser Paul Arkison said: “We would like to congratulate Mitie on winning GMB’s annual ‘Christmas Scrooge’ award for services to poor employment practices – the first ever employer to make it ‘two-in-a-row’.

It takes a special effort to ensure that a cleaner or janitor performing the exact same role as their council employed counterparts but in a different workplace could be paid up to £1 an hour less but that’s what Mitie have achieved.

The North Ayrshire taxpayer will also be delighted to know that because of Mitie’s insistence on keeping their workers mired in the low pay trap, many of them are being forced to seek state help in an effort to escape the clutches of poverty.

As we approach the local elections we are calling on our elected representatives to help end this ridiculous disparity and ensure Mitie starts paying its workers a living wage, otherwise this company will be going for an unwanted treble.”

ENDS

Contact: GMB Scotland Organiser Paul Arkison on 07801 656533 or Peter Welsh, GMB Scotland Communications, on 07976 447077.