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Old Bailey to Strike Against Outsourcing on International Women’s Day

CAIWU’s ballot of its members gives the union a clear mandate for action.

Cleaners at the Old Bailey have voted overwhelmingly to take strike action in response to the City of London Corporation’s plans to outsource their jobs. In a resounding show of unity, 100% of voters backed the strike, with an 86% turnout. The industrial action will take place on Friday, March 7th, coinciding with International Women’s Day, with a picket line outside the Old Bailey Central Criminal Court from 8am to 4pm.

The Cleaners and Allied Independent Workers Union (CAIWU) condemns the outsourcing plan as a direct attack on some of the most vulnerable workers in the public sector—many of whom are women, migrants, and people of colour. Instead of upholding its responsibility to ensure job security and fair conditions, the City of London Corporation is pushing through changes that will worsen pay, increase workloads, and strip workers of vital protections.

CAIWU has repeatedly raised concerns over the lack of consultation on this move, yet workers remain unheard. “This outsourcing represents a complete betrayal of the commitments to insourcing made by the government,” said a CAIWU spokesperson. “Rather than reversing exploitative practices, the Corporation is reinforcing them, leaving our members – some of whom have worked at the corporation for over 30 years – with no choice but to take action.”

The strike will be a clear message to the City of London Corporation that cleaners deserve respect, job security, and fair working conditions. CAIWU is calling on Ian Thomas CBE, Town Clerk and Chief Executive, to halt these plans immediately and demonstrate real commitment to equality and inclusion by protecting the jobs of those who keep the Old Bailey running.

CAIWU was founded in 2016 and is an independent workers union designed to help organise cleaners across the UK. CAIWU is run by and for its members. CAIWU has waged several high-profile campaigns at the Royal Opera House, University of East London, Facebook, Nike Town, the British Medical Association, and the Ministry of Defence, and continues to campaign for improved pay and working conditions across its organised workplaces.