Crooked

Today was the IWW union's International Day of Action against Sodexo, a firm who live up to the first three letters in their name with gusto.

The French-based company (the 22nd largest in the world) are contracted by the City of London Corporation to provide janitorial services.

For its trouble Sodexo gets a massive fee - and refuses to pay the cleaners a London living wage of £8.30. According to the Greater London Authority itself, that means they are on poverty wages.

The cleaners are well organised, with many like these men and women members of the IWW. But standing up for themselves and demanding a fair wage has been met by Sodexo with nepotism, bullying and dodgy sackings. One woman was detained by her bosses in a locked room for two hours.

Today some of the ragtag bunch from the Occupy camps came down to join the cleaners' picket and show some solidarity. We also made some cacophonous noise outside the Guildhall. Meetings were disrupted by the samba band and horns, and other staff inside made aware of how some of their colleagues are treated.

As the woman in the foreground said at the end: "We'll be back, and that's a fact."