Ernesta Nat Cote has been cleaning paediatric operating theatres at University Hospital Lewisham for 11 years. She works for ISS, one of several private companies that have employed her since 2009. On £8.21 an hour, she felt undervalued by managers who came and went while she remained.
Two years ago, Ernesta joined the GMB union and began organising her colleagues to demand better pay and treatment. As the union representative, she now advises fellow cleaners on issues such as pay problems. Her campaign has continued through the pandemic, which has highlighted the vulnerability of hospital cleaners.
Cleaners across the country have died from Covid-19, including two at St George’s hospital in Tooting. The pandemic, Ernesta said, makes it clear that hospitals cannot function without cleaning staff, who are as vital as other frontline workers and equally at risk.
