Justice for Luis Varga
Central St Martin's / University of the Arts London / Bouygues
Luis Vargas is a cleaner at Central St Martin's College (CSM), part of the University of the Arts, London (UAL).
He is also a trade unionist – the elected representative of his colleagues.
In August, a formal disciplinary action was started against Luis by his employer, Bouygues, and he was suspended as a result. More than seven weeks later, Bouygues has still not taken any further action. Luis remains at home unable to work, while his colleagues are having to carry on without the support of their chosen union rep.
Ever since suspending Luis, Bouygues has ignored all requests from his union, the Cleaners and Allied Independent Workers Union, for the case to be moved forward. This is in direct violation of the ACAS code of practice, which states that any suspension must be as short as possible, must be reviewed, and must not be used as a disciplinary sanction. Bouygues is failing on all three counts.
When it comes to discrimination against trade unionists, Bouygues has a history. Luis isn't the first at UAL to suffer. Earlier in the summer, Stella Morgan, a Nigerian cleaning supervisor, was dismissed after feeling ill during her break and taking a short rest. Stella suffers from diabetes. She is also an active unionist, having played a significant role in the recent campaign at her college for outsourced staff to receive equal terms and conditions to directly employed staff.
Stella and Luis are both cleaning workers. They're both trade unionists. And they're both of BAME origins.
Meanwhile, UAL keeps trying its hardest to present itself as a conscious and responsible anti-racist organisation. Yet its policy of outsourcing services such as cleaning is inherently racist. UAL's outsourced cleaners face inferior working conditions to direct employees. And the great majority of them — 78% according to a recent GMB report — are from black and minority ethnic backgrounds, while three out of every five are from migrant backgrounds. These facts expose the lie of UAL's aspiration of equal opportunities and the development of an inclusive culture.
UAL could end Bouygues' racist victimisation of BAME trade unionists now. It just has to bring its cleaners in house, the way other academic institutions have done — institutions like St George's and Queen Mary and SOAS and Goldsmiths and Birkbeck.
Please sign the petition — demand justice for Luis Vargas, and tell Bouygues, UAL and CSM what you think.
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Central St Martin's / University of the Arts London / Bouygues
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[Your Name]
Luis Vargas is a cleaner at Central St Martin's College (CSM), part of the University of the Arts, London (UAL).
He is also a trade unionist – the elected representative of his colleagues.
In August, a formal disciplinary action was started against Luis by his employer, Bouygues, and he was suspended as a result. More than seven weeks later, Bouygues has still not taken any further action. Luis remains at home unable to work, while his colleagues are having to carry on without the support of their chosen union rep.
Ever since suspending Luis, Bouygues has ignored all requests from his union, the Cleaners and Allied Independent Workers Union, for the case to be moved forward. This is in direct violation of the ACAS code of practice, which states that any suspension must be as short as possible, must be reviewed, and must not be used as a disciplinary sanction. Bouygues is failing on all three counts.
When it comes to discrimination against trade unionists, Bouygues has a history. Luis isn't the first at UAL to suffer. Earlier in the summer, Stella Morgan, a Nigerian cleaning supervisor, was dismissed after feeling ill during her break and taking a short rest. Stella suffers from diabetes. She is also an active unionist, having played a significant role in the recent campaign at her college for outsourced staff to receive equal terms and conditions to directly employed staff.
Stella and Luis are both cleaning workers. They're both trade unionists. And they're both of BAME origins.
Meanwhile, UAL keeps trying its hardest to present itself as a conscious and responsible anti-racist organisation. Yet its policy of outsourcing services such as cleaning is inherently racist. UAL's outsourced cleaners face inferior working conditions to direct employees. And the great majority of them — 78% according to a recent GMB report — are from black and minority ethnic backgrounds, while three out of every five are from migrant backgrounds. These facts expose the lie of UAL's aspiration of equal opportunities and the development of an inclusive culture.
UAL could end Bouygues' racist victimisation of BAME trade unionists now. It just has to bring its cleaners in house, the way other academic institutions have done — institutions like St George's and Queen Mary and SOAS and Goldsmiths and Birkbeck.
We the undersigned call for the immediate end to Bouygues racist, anti-union disciplinary action against Luis Vargas, and we call on UAL/CSM to bring all its cleaners in house at the earliest opportunity.