ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

Cleaning staff at the Wimbledon's recent tennis championships claim they had to take food from bins because they were not paid enough by the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) to buy lunch and dinner when they working - reported The Guardian.

Cleaners also said they had to crouch in corridors during breaks because there was no official break area, and the time allowed for breaks was insufficient. Shifts regularly lasted 15 hours.

Housekeeping staff at Wimbledon are employed by LSS, a subsidiary of Compass, and some claim AELTEC provided insufficient money on their accreditation for food during their daily shifts. One cleaner who has worked there for three years explained: "Cleaning staff who regularly work 15 hours a day receive £11.50 (€12.90) for food and get a one-hour break a day. This is utterly insufficient and insulting especially while many staff working shorter hours and much less taxing jobs are receiving up to £30 (€33.50)."

Housekeepers usually start the day at 8am. They will be given an hour-long lunch break some time between midday and 3pm, during which they can spend the money accredited to them by AELTC. They are given no dinner, and no break until they finish at about 10pm.

Another housekeeper commented: "It's not uncommon for us to rely on chefs who are about to throw away food to give us something in the evening. I've seen people pick packets of sushi out of bins when it gets really late into a shift."

An AELTC spokesperson said: "The AELTC values all of the staff who help to deliver the championships and meets annually with each of our major contractors to take their advice and agree on appropriate rates, shift rotations and rest days. Cleaning staff are provided with meal allowances and contracted breaks, which they are welcome to take in staff break areas."

A spokesperson for LSS added: "People are at the heart of our service. We have robust HR policies and procedures in place and we work with our teams to ensure we deliver them. We acknowledge that during Wimbledon there is a flexible schedule, therefore in addition to employees' contracted breaks, when extended hours are required, we look to support our colleagues through providing an additional meal allowance and breaks where possible."