by Conrad Landin
in Westminster

IRON-FISTED Tube contractor ISS is “stealing food out of babies’ mouths” by targeting union activists opposed to a fingerprint-based clocking-in system, victimised reps told a Westminster rally yesterday.

Left Labour MP Jeremy Corbyn and transport union RMT acting general secretary Mick Cash joined the workers and their supporters at the emergency protest.

One cleaner was sacked on Monday and others sent home without pay for refusing to sign in via the newly introduced biometric system.

Cleaner and union rep Joshua Odu said: “Fingerprinting goes against my conscience. There are plenty of other ways of booking on, but they’re telling us it’s this or losing our jobs.”

His colleague Richard Crane said: “ISS is using biometric fingerprinting to intimidate migrant workers.

“And now they’re stealing food off people’s tables and out of babies’ mouths. People could face eviction if they are continually denied shifts.”

Mr Cash suggested that ISS was victimising union members in its employment practices, having “scores” of cleaning contracts across Britain but only introducing fingerprinting in the health service and Underground.

And he laid the blame at the door of London’s Tory mayor.

“Boris Johnson should be ashamed that he is allowing a London Underground contractor to bully ordinary working people,” he said.

“It’s important that our members understand that once a company imposes such an arrangement on one section of the workforce, it could be extended elsewhere.”

Islington North MP Mr Corbyn said ISS was “obsessed with this degrading biometric data collection.”

He added: “This inhuman treatment of cleaners has got to stop.”

Cleaner and RMT activist Daniel Barker added that the contractor had tried to avoid taking responsibility for the new shift-booking system, instead blaming the publicly owned Tube maintenance company.

He said: “ISS say it’s up to Tube Lines — Tube Lines say it’s up to ISS. They’re just passing the buck.”

Locked-out cleaners have also called an emergency picket outside Canary Wharf Jubilee Line station this morning from 9am.