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Cleaners for two Government departments will have their pay disrupted in the run-up to Christmas, with some workers facing a delay of up to seven weeks before they receive their wages, i has learned.
A decision by the Cabinet Office and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) to replace their existing cleaning contractor Mitie with companies ISS and OCS Group has affected pay for almost 300 existing staff.
At OCS, cleaners will have to wait up until 14 December for their first pay cheque from their new employer due to new contracts being agreed.
At ISS, the workers’ pay pattern will shift from monthly to fortnightly, which could make it more difficult to manage finances, particularly if bills are paid monthly.
It will also pose a problem for those who rely on Universal Credit, which uses a four-week assessment period to calculate payments. Benefits risk being disrupted or miscalculated.
The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) warned the transfer of employment to ISS and OCS, which began this week, would cause their members “great financial hardship as Christmas approaches”.
It said cleaners at both companies get paid either £11.95 an hour in London or £10.90 elsewhere in the UK.
Mark Serwotka, general secretary of the PCS union, said: “This heartless and devastating policy will ruin Christmas for many of our members.”
He also claimed the switch from monthly to fortnightly pay cheques will lead to some of his members losing out on benefits payments.
“To push this change through without union agreement is appalling,” he said. “We demand the employer drops this scheme and returns to the old system that allowed workers to budget every month.”
One of the cleaners affected, who asked not to be named, said: “I’m a single mother-of-three with no savings.
“To wait nearly seven weeks for four weeks’ pay would mean I couldn’t pay bills, buy food, pay for gas and electric.
“This comes in a cost of living crisis and before Christmas. I am already losing sleep and not able to eat with the worry.”
Another person affected by the changes said it will “create a horrible, stressful environment for my family” at a time when “trying to pay the bills, fuel to get back and forth to work, for Christmas presents” is already affected by the cost-of-living crisis.
It is understood that the cleaners have been offered a four-week bridging loan to support them during the contract change.
The Government said: “The staff referred to are employees of external contractors and are not employed by the Cabinet Office.”
The ISS UK and Ireland said: “We are currently overseeing the onboarding of a number of new employees who are transferring to ISS as part of a change in facilities management contracts with the Government Property Agency. We are taking all necessary steps to minimise any disruption to employees during this period, including to their pay, which will be made, at the latest, 28 days after transfer and before the end of November 2023.
“We are also aware of a change to pay frequency under the new contract, in that staff transferring to ISS will be moving from a monthly pay frequency to a fortnightly pattern. We are managing this process to make sure that none of our new employees will be inconvenienced.”
The OCS was contacted for comment on multiple occasions but did not respond.