Report from Steve McKenzie
New Covent Garden Market is facing a week long “turmoil” as OCS security guards start a strike over poverty pay rates. They and first aiders are paid only £9.69 an hour
The branch secretary for Unite, Keith Henderson, wrote the following to members:
Our security members that work at the New Covent Garden Market, in Nine Elms London, are taking strike action again from this Thursday. Our members are employed by OCS Group UK Ltd, and the strike action is over poverty rates of pay.
New Covent Garden Market is facing a week of turmoil as its security guards, employed by outsourcers OCS Group UK Ltd, take a week of strike action, after the company refused to even enter into formal pay talks with the union.
Our security members who also act as the first aiders at the fruit, vegetable and flower market, are paid just £9.69 an hour. The workers are seeking to be paid at least the London Living Wage, which now stands at £11.95 an hour. Strike action will begin on Thursday October 27 at 18:30 and it lasts for one week.
New Convent Garden Market is operated by the Covent Market Garden Authority (CMGA), a statutory corporation that reports to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).
Our general secretary Sharon Graham said: “OCS’s actions are abhorrent. This is an extremely wealthy company that is paying poverty wages and is not even prepared to enter into negotiations about a fair pay increase.
“The CMGA should be holding its head in shame for allowing a company that is paying poverty pay rates to operate on its site.”
“Unite’s commitment to defend the jobs, pay and conditions of its members is absolute and our members at OCS are receiving the union’s complete support.”
Our security members previously took three days of strike action in September, which caused widespread disruption at the market. Despite bringing in agency staff, only one entrance to the market was open. A manager from OCS was required to sleep at the site to deal with any urgent issues. Our union believes that it was a matter of luck that there was not a major incident during the strike as there were not sufficient first aiders on the premises.
The OCS Group UK Ltd is fully able to pay its security guards a decent wage. Its 2021 profits reveal that it made post-tax profits of £19.5 million in 2021
Regional officer Steve Rowlatt said: “Strike action will cause turmoil at New Covent Garden Market but this is entirely of OCS’s own making, the company’s arrogance is overwhelming and it has not even deigned to begin formal pay negotiations for its chronically low paid workers.”
The strike committee has agreed that we will setup picket lines at the main entrance to the market.
The members wish to hold picket lines from 18:30 until 23:00 on Thursday 27th October, and again on Friday 28th October in the morning at 07:00am until 12:00, and at 19:00 until 23:00, and every day until 2nd November at 12:00.
The LE/107 Branch is calling on all of its members and other Unite members to show support and solidarity by joining us on the rally nearby to the picket lines on all of the dates stated above.
Thank you for your help, support and solidarity in this fight to end poverty wages for our members.
In Solidarity, Keith Henderson, LE/107 Branch Secretary
