Justice for City of London Cleaners fast for Living Wage starts Monday

The cleaners have signed the following pledge, and more are joining as
we speak:

Dear Friends and Supporters

Support the RBS Fast

We are five cleaners working in the City of London and Canary Wharf.
For 16 months we have been part of the struggle for a living wage for
cleaners across the capital. Cleaners work so hard but for very little
in return; often no sick pay and no basic holiday pay and many companies
will not work with the cleaners and our Union to help us overcome this
poverty.

This week one of the major banks cleaned by our brothers and sisters -
RBS – announced £9 Billion in profits. They can afford to treat their
cleaners with dignity but do not. And they employ a contract cleaning
company, Lancaster who has refused to recognize our Union or work with
us to achieve a living wage for cleaners.

Now we have had enough. After much thought we have decided that next
week we will fast for justice. We will refuse food starting Monday
morning to draw attention to the plight of London cleaners.

In a few weeks time it will be Christmas, a time for families and
celebration. But not for us and those we care for. City bosses may be
celebrating billions of pounds in bonuses but we will be struggling to
make ends meet.

Next week we will fast and we will continue to highlight the banks and
some cleaning companies refusal accept their duty to their employees.

We are proud to fight for justice for cleaners. We are certain our
fight is a just one. We are fully prepared to fast for justice for all
cleaners.

This has been a long struggle. Than you for your support – we hope that
we can count on your continued backing as we take this measure.

Thank you,

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The Fast for Justice will start on Monday 11th with a public act at 1pm.
The same evening there will be other events to be confirmed. We hope to
follow a similar schedule every day: afternoon high profile event,
followed by a more grassroots social evening from 5pm. The fast will be
reviewed on Wednesday evening, but the campaign will continue in any
case.

The exact location is under negotiation, but will be somewhere on
Bishopsgate, near Liverpool Street Station.

We welcome supporters at any time, and we are actively looking for help
with battery powered film projections, poetry, pantomime, accoustic
music, and other activities to keep spirits. Festival style tat is also
needed: rugs, chairs, environmentally-killing patio heaters, etc. Just
make sure to ckeck first with organisers, it's not a dump and we will
have limited space with all the private zones!

We welcome people from all political backgrounds, but there is a ban on
trying to sell leftie newspapers to the cleaners. You are welcome to
leave a couple of copies for the temporary library. Anyone -- green,
red, black, or city worker type-- endangering potentially vulnerable
migrant cleaners with their behaviour will be swiftly dealt with (non
violently of course ;-).

Come along!