Pay row cleaners 'should be disciplined', FCO official said

Cleaners should be "spoken to and disciplined where appropriate" for seeking higher wages, a newly released email shows a Government official has suggested.

Fourteen cleaners employed by Foreign Office and Commonwealth (FCO) contractors Interserve claimed in October they were "punished" after they sought a meeting to discuss the London Living Wage (LLW) with the Foreign Secretary.

Philip Hammond later told MPs no redundancies or disciplinary action took place as a result of the letter sent to him by the cleaners.

But an FCO official warned Interserve in August that their cleaners "must stop" writing to Mr Hammond's office, according to an internal email.

The FCO official believed the cleaning staff had signed confidentiality agreements to "prevent this occurring" and it was assumed action would be taken against them, adding their pay queries should be raised with Interserve.

The email was released following a Freedom of Information request, which has been published on the Government's website.

In a note accompanying the FOI, the FCO says the email was "neither authorised nor seen by an minister" before it was sent.

It adds: "The FCO official who wrote the email has recognised that neither the content nor tone of it were appropriate and has expressed regret."

Names in the email, sent on August 5, have been redacted.

The email signature is from the FCO's estates and security directorate, with the recipients including two Interserve addresses and two FCO addresses.

The message states: "I am really disappointed that your cleaning staff are again writing direct to the FS office over the LLW debate.

"This must stop they are your employees not ours, if they have issues they should take them up with you not the FCO FS.

"I thought they had all signed confidentiality agreements to prevent this occurring, so I assume they will be spoken too and disciplined where appropriate.

"My team have enough to deal with without this issue keep re-occurring and having to draft responses etc.

"Please can you again explain to the cleaners they do not work for the FCO (they work at the FCO only) so any future management escalation need to go through the right channels THIS IS NOT THE FCO!!

"Regards. Please let me know what actions are being taken on this matter."

The FCO's note accompanying the FOI explained the cleaners had previously written to the Foreign Secretary on the subject in 2014 and his predecessor William Hague in June 2012.

It states: "These letters were shared with Interserve management as they are responsible for setting the terms and conditions of their employees.

"The FCO replied to both these letters, setting out the FCO's position in relation to the cleaners' wages.

"In addition, in July 2012, FCO officials met with the cleaners and Citizens UK to listen to their concerns.

"It was within this context that an FCO Official sent an email of 5 August 2015 to Interserve, with the intention of ensuring that, as Interserve employees, the cleaners should initially raise concerns about their pay with Interserve management.

"This email was neither authorised nor seen by any minister prior to it being sent.

"The FCO official who wrote the email has recognised that neither the content nor tone of it were appropriate and has expressed regret."

The UK Living Wage is currently calculated at £8.25 an hour and for London is £9.40 an hour.

A spokesman for the Public and Commercial Services union said: "This is utterly outrageous and reveals the contempt some senior officials have for the very lowest paid workers in Whitehall.

"Instead of trying to pass the buck, departments should recognise their responsibilities and insist contractors pay a living wage."