Unite Secures Victory For ‘Stolen Weeks’ ESS Mod Workers In Hampshire

Unite, the UK and Ireland’s largest union, has secured victory after a two year struggle for a group of low paid workers employed by the sub-contractor ESS, part of the multi-million  pound Compass group, following the ‘theft’ of their working weeks.
 
In 2017, ESS ‘stole’ up to two working weeks from the workers who were employed as cleaners, mess hands and housekeepers (most of whom were paid the minimum wage) on Ministry of Defence establishments in the Gosport area including Fort Blockhouse.
 
In effect the workers were paid for just 50 weeks a year rather than the standard 52.
 
Unite staged a lengthy campaign involving demonstrations, petitions and leafletting to put pressure on both ESS and the MoD to have the stolen weeks reinstated.
 
Unite then launched a legal case for breach of contract, on behalf of some of the affected workers. As a result of the legal challenge ESS accepted its decision to reduce the working weeks of their employees’ was illegal.
 
The workers have had their working weeks reinstated, so they are again being paid for 52 weeks a year and have received compensation which is worth on average £1,900 per worker.

ABC Note: ESS has been a market leader in the Defence and Government Services sectors for over 40 years. As well as providing quality catering, retail and leisure services, we offer a portfolio of superior and sustainable soft services, including hotel, cleaning, waste management, security and reception services. 

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