She and about 50 colleagues at OCS, a private outsourcing company that employs 68,000 people, went on strike Wednesday morning to demand better conditions. They are a small part of a series of work actions as workers respond to price increases after more than a decade of stagnant real wages. They are just a small protest compared to the rail strikes that closed most of the national grid last week and other workers who voted in favor of the strike, including South London’s tram drivers, London Underground staff. Post and check-in staff and ground staff at Heathrow Airport. Hospital staff in Blackpool and other OCS locations in Blackburn are being asked to pay for the weekend, according to staff at the same NHS-affiliated hospitals. This staff receives the hourly rate plus 44% on Saturdays or plus 88% on Sundays, while OCS staff only receives the hourly charge of, 10.19. Lisa, who is in her 50s, said she could not find the money to buy anything other than what she needed for her teenage daughter. (The names of the employees who spoke to the Guardian have changed.) He said hospital cleaners received a chocolate chip cookie and an extra 10-minute break to thank them for their efforts. About 100 workers at the Bristol-based care company St Monica Trust also went on strike on Wednesday. Unison said their employer had reduced their weekend wages by 21% and threatened to “lay off and re-hire” workers if they did not accept. Christina McAnea, general secretary of Unison, said: “The toxic combination of years of wage freezing, unbelievably low wages and the highest inflation in 40 years is driving workers to action. “All they want is better wages and a decent standard of living.” Jane, another Blackpool picket line worker, said she had cut costs and wished she had more to spend on her grandchildren. Many workers said that OCS dependence on meager sick pay of just 96 96 a week – again in contrast to their NHS counterparts – meant that workers felt compelled to come to work when they were ill. “I feel like a second-class citizen,” said Stephen, a catering in his 20s at Guild Park Hospital in Blackburn, where workers are also on strike. “You do the same job, but for much less.” OCS did not respond to a request for comment.
