This Is Why Migrant Government Workers Are Protesting On The Streets Of London Today

One security guard said: “Some of us have worked here for 10 years, all we’re asking for is a wage that allows us to make ends meet and live with a little more dignity.

“Is that too much to ask from the Ministry of so-called Justice?”

The strike is also affecting the department for business, energy and industrial strategy.

Cristina Albores, 41, who works at a receptionist at the Ministry of Justice, told HuffPost UK: “Every year in January the bills are increasing, the travel card, the energy bills, it’s all going up.

“I’m getting poorer and poorer every year.”

This is the second such strike by the workers – organised by the migrant worker led union, United Voices of the World – in the last six months.

Last August, a three-day walkout won cleaners a 12% pay rise bringing them up to the same £9 rate paid to security guards but still significantly below the London wage.

Shadow Justice Minister, Richard Burgon, told HuffPost UK that ministers should be “ashamed” that they are refusing to pay staff “enough to live on”. 

“It underlines the contempt with which the Tories treat working people,” Burgon added. “Instead of hiding behind the cover of outsourcing, the Tories should lead by example and act to ensure that their staff are paid fairly.”