Students claim victory in protest to save illegal cleaners
Student occupation ends when SOAS University agrees to write secretary on behalf of deported workers, says The Guardian.
Students who occupied their university for three days to save a group of cleaners from being deported claimed victory this week.
Around 60 students at the School of Oriental and African Studies (Soas) in London took control of the principal’s office on Monday after a raid by immigration officials last Friday led to six cleaners, alleged to be illegal workers, being deported and two being held in custody.
The cleaners, from South America, were part of a campaign to raise wages so that others like them could survive in London – the London Living Wage campaign.
The university denied some student’s claims that it tipped off immigration officials. Paul Webley, principal of Soas, said:
“Contrary to some of the erroneous allegations being made, Friday’s visit was not arranged or influenced by any member of staff at Soas.”
The students’ occupation ended after the university agreed to write to Alan Johnson the new Home Secretary to request the cleaners be granted “exceptional leave” to stay in the UK.
Hanadi Katerji, secretary of the Soas student union, said:
“We won some important victories with the management. It is the start of a long campaign for us. I’d like to see all staff brought in-house and given the London living wage.”
The cleaners were employed by a contract company, ISS, which has denied any links between the “living wage” campaign and the immigration raid.
A UK Border Agency spokesperson said this week:
‘We will not tolerate illegal working. It leads to the exploitation of illegal immigrants, who are frequently denied the minimum wage or forced to risk dangerous working conditions.”
Employers can be fined up to £10,000 per illegal worker under the new Civil Penalty system.
See also: UK immigrant amnesty ‘worth £3bn’ say LSE
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Reader Comments
I wish they’d stop acting as though their main concern is for the illegal immigrant’s welfare! It really makes me want to barf. They should just call a spade a spade:ie we feel that illegal immigrants are denying the British citizens and legal migrants a fair bite of the economic apple; those who are not able to contribute towards the NIC pot and/or are (falsely) claiming are a financial burden. I’m sure the illegal immigrant is not complaining at the end of the week or month when s/he’s able to send what is pittance to us here to his homeland to help his family live a better life. If they are that concerned about the illegal migrant’s welfare, they wouldn’t be deporting them but making them legal. If only it were that simple, eh?I suppose it sounds more humane and sanctimonious to say they’re looking out for the illegal migrant’s welfare. C’est la vie!