Accomodation for rent £550 pm, share room with 10 others, share toilet with 25

[OlympicRingSting]

Outrageous.... UK SLAVE TRADE

The Cleaners will be working 35 hours a week, for £212. The cleaning company has kindly sorted out accomodation, you get a bunk bed in a portakabin with 10 others (both sexes) and share the shower with 75 others. For all this they are charged £126.

How are they getting away with this?

No wonder the jobs were not advertised in this country, they would not have got the 'rent' i.e £1260 a week for a portakabin.

And they are forbidden from talking to the press as well...

This is apparently what caused problems with G4S and security staff - they were planning on hiring overseas to avoid paying a decent wage and restrictions got in the way.

Apparently the Local Council has given planning permission for these 'dwellings'.

This is disgusting.

Awful. I have zero excited for the coming games, there just seems to be sham after sham after sham.

The cleaners have paid for travel to get here, and whilst £90 a week may be a relative fortune in some poorer countries, the prices being charged by the venue are Western European rates and this is taking advantage of people.

Fucking hell!
I can't think of anything else to say.

It is fucking outrageous. Some bastard contractor will be making a fortune off the backs of these workers.

This vile. Absolutely vile.

How dare we accuse other countries China, India of exploiting workers?
It's a shame that Sebastion Coe et Al are so intent on seeking out and threatening prosecution to people for using the Olympic Logo (One of them being a WI cake competition) but not fair treatment of workers.
I'm ashamed, not of my country, but of a government and an Olympic Committee that allows this to happen.

There are tons of people who live locally, would have jumped at the chance to earn £212 a week. So much for benefitting the local community...

YADNBU vile.

Might be totally unrelated but today on the M6 north there was a convoy of lorries carrying portacabins. Hmmmm....

I have a male friend in his late 50s who lives in Wales. He's been out of work for the last four years - used to be a computer programmer but can't even get a job in a callcentre now. He's desperate to get a job.

He applied for one of these temp jobs with G4S during the Olympics and was invited for an interview, but was then told that unless he could provide current valid photo ID he couldn't be considered. He hasn't got a current passport or a photo driving licence, and didn't have time to obtain either before the interview. He has lived at the same address for 20 years, so it should have been possible to confirm his identity somehow, but apparently "computer says no". His most recent employer now lives abroad, and G4S also said that as they can't be bothered to contact him for a reference, no confirmation of his previous employment is possible, and once again "computer says no". He could have obtained any number of checkable references, even from ourselves (he has worked for DH in the past) but "computer says no".

Is it any wonder they are 3,500 members of staff short.

My mate was also asked at the outset if he would be prepared to travel to London to work. He asked if there would be accommodation provided, and they said NO! Had he known he could have been paying £550 per month to live in a portakabin with 9 blokes and share a bog with 25 others, at least he he would have had the CHOICE. But these incompetent buffoons couldn't even get that right.

And remember folks, these are the people who are tendering for all those areas of police work that are being privatised. Do you sleep well at night knowing the safety of your neighbourhood could soon be in THEIR hands?

This is truly awful. i am so disappointed. I can't help noticing that the Daily Mail does not actually say how despicable this is though.

Theresa May is ridiculous.

They could not risk giving the jobs to UK residents who can speak English and spill the beans to the press.

Yes, the article said that the employees were subject to a gagging order.

I really hope that because it is the DM they have the wrong end of the stick as usual because if it's true that is utterly shocking.

And the article talks about using foreign labour because they come from countries of high unemployment, and the UK isn't?

Just shows, we may not be China, but there is plenty of dubious stuff goingsolo on behnd the scenes.

I actually think it is not that bad. They are being charged less than a backpacker hostel, and they are getting three meals a day.

Would it be suitable long term? Absoloutly not, but for a couple of weeks it is fine.

When there are hundreds of thousands of people who live here looking for work?

It's not ok it's dispicable!

I'm with Sashh it's a bit like backpackers. I think if you're young then it's ok. It's not great money and the accommodation will be rubbish but it's on the cv and you'll make friends and have an adventure.

The disgrace here is that the olympics are being staffed with cheap immigrant labour, while our own workforce is left to rot on the dole.

We are so wrapped up in equalities and employment legislation that we cant favour our own, yet every other country in the world protects their own workers.

We are too 'nice' for our own good.

Backpackers are not working 35 hours a week though are they. This is absolutely despicable.

I would also be dubious as to if the 35 hours a week is actually correct.

I don't think the set up is so bad for the foreign workers (they are choosing to come after all, are probably mainly travelling students finding a cheap way to get around, will probably make friends and have fun and won't mind the crappy accomodation for just three weeks) I don't see it as slave labour because they aren't moving here with the promise of a long term job.

However, I think it's wrong that the committee have chosen to do this rather than give our own unemployed youth a chance at a bit of work.

Those people that think it is acceptable (WTF), I assume you'd be happy to work in those conditions? I bet you'd be the first to moan if the water cooler is out of action or the heating goes off for a day?

Hammy - yes, in a temporary situation as part of an experience abroad, I would and have. I have worked in far worse conditions than those advertised in India and Brazil. Hot water and electricity aren't a necessity for a couple of weeks. I've slept in a dormitory of 15 in 35 degree heat with no aircon or running water and a wide variety of insects. I was pretty much working just for food and a bed. But it was fun!