JAHIRUL HAS BEEN VICTIMISED FOR DEMANDING EQUALITY

Aim

Help Jahirul Islam, a security guard at Great Ormond Street Hospital, who has lost work after striking for equality.

My name is Jahirul Islam and I am a security guard at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH). Although on a “zero-hours” contract I have worked there regularly for several years, and GOSH is like a home to me. In the last week, I have found myself out of work, after going on strike with some of my colleagues to demand the same terms and conditions as the rest of the hospital’s staff. When I reported for work, I was informed that there were no hours available to me. 

I have young kids and I’m the sole breadwinner at home. I haven't worked for six full weeks and I don’t know where my next  pay cheque is going to be coming from, or how I’m going to make ends meet while food and energy prices keep going up. I am angry at this injustice and worried about how to provide for my family. 

You can me support me and my family by donating to my fund until this injustice ends.  

My colleagues and I believe that this is a direct consequence of having taken part in a lawful strike. I believe I’m suffering for having dared to stand up for my rights.

We, the security guards at GOSH, are a small group of 33 workers currently outsourced to Carlisle Support Services and we are on poorer terms than the rest of our NHS colleagues who are directly employed by the hospital. We get worse pay, less holiday, no pensions... not even full sick pay amid a global pandemic!  

With our union United Voices of the World (UVW) we have been asking our bosses at the NHS to end this disparity and bring us in-house for months, but GOSH are not listening.  We think it is no coincidence that most of us are Black, brown and migrant workers, while the rest of staff is predominantly white.  

We are the last group of workers to be outsourced at GOSH. Recently the hospital brought over 300 cleaners in-house.  If they can do it for the cleaners, why can’t they do it for us?  

This project successfully funded on 21st April 2022