I was born in Mogadishu in 1953 during the Italian Trusteeship and educated in Italian schools. In 1971 I left Somalia during the Siad Barr dictatorship. I moved to northern Italy with my husband, an Italian citizen.

While I raised two daughters I travelled extensively because of my husbands’ work living in Zambia, Saudi Arabia and the United States of America.

Returning to Italy I collaborated with different women’s group associations who dealt with social and immigration problems.

In 1994, as a result of my reaction to the horrors of civil war in Somalia I wrote an autobiographical novel published in Italian called 'Far from Mogadishu.' My love for Africa brought me to live in Kenya for several years.

I continued to write and published several short stories. In 2010 I completed my second novel (in Italian) 'Clouds by the Equator - The forgotten Italians.' This is the story of mixed race children (known as “Meticci”) of Italian Colonists ignored and discriminated against by the Italian authorities.

As a result of my novels I have been described as “an example that inspired a new generation of migrant writers”.

I came to the UK in 2010 because of an unquenchable thirst for travel, and to come into contact with different cultures, new ideas together with a daughter’s wish to study in Birmingham, England.

Living in the Birmingham area gives me energy, because it is a multicultural city. When the weather is gloomy, shops are filled with exotic fruits that give colour and warmth.

I live in Smethwick (just outside Birmingham) and work as a volunteer reader in local schools and is involved in the families and schools together programme helping families bond, supporting parents and children in Year One and reception classes. I love meeting people and taking part in my neighbourhood, that is why I joined my local school as a volunteer. It is rewarding sharing your time and skills, especially with children.

I have been active in Women’s support groups. I am currently training at Sandwell College to be a volunteer mentor. Being part of a women’s group is connecting and discovering the real problems and strength of a community.

My writing has brought me in to contact with the Italian Department at Warwick University who run a 3 year programme Transnationalizing Modern Languages

I still return to Italy spending the summer with my other daughter and grandchildren.

I have recently translated my book 'Lontano da Mogadiscio /Far from Mogadishu' from Italian into English. This new edition expands the book with new chapters deliberately tackling on the painful issue of the Somali diaspora in UK. Writing for me is telling stories of people who are invisible in a society. I am inspired to write against injustice and stereotypes.

For more information about Shirin's book: The bilingual  e-book edition is now available on - line at Amazon.uk at the following link:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_13/280-6186979-7738254?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=far+mogadishu&sprefix=far+from+mo%2Cstripbooks%2C577

You can view an interview with Shirin on You Tube at the following link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ta80RQ-IfvQ

Karola Formella is quite literally one of the most colourful characters to be found on the streets of Brighton. An integral element of anarchist social centre, The Cowley Club, she consigns her daily life to the community cause and what she calls, “giving oil to the engine of good stuff”.

I met Karola at the Cowley, on what felt like the first real day of 2014 spring. We sat in the back yard while her chocolate, coconut, cardamom and lemon cake baked in the oven, alongside a few other equally unique concoctions.

The cakes are just one example of her self-defining aversion to conformity, in which she pushes the dress code, helps the homeless into squats and prefers bikes to people.

Karola describes The Cowley Club as a voluntarily run, not-for-profit social centre.  It was set up in 2002 as a space for groups and individuals to meet, organise and practice a DIY ethos. There is no hierarchy, with equality and inclusion at the top of the agenda.

Karola is at the club most days, cooking and baking for the café, cleaning, working on the bar, ordering stock, inducting others, doing general admin and organising DJ events - all on a voluntary basis.

She first noticed the club whilst on holiday from her native Poland in 2007, and as a result that holiday still hasn't ended. “I thought it looked cool, but I didn't really know what it was,” she told me. “I didn't even know it was a café, it just looked like some weird place.  They were looking for volunteers so I put my name down.  The next day I was volunteering and after that I never stopped.”

The club appealed to her because participation was entirely her choice rather than the will of any outside pressure. She said, “I was drawn into it because I hate conforming and I hate being told what to do.”

This much is clear just by looking at her.  She is a mass of layer upon layer of sparkle and colour; of strikingly bright dresses, tights, tops, shoes and braces, covered with broaches, badges, tassels and ribbons.  It's a hyper-real, almost jarring display of femininity that she pulls off with confidence.

She insisted she has no fashion influences; that it's just a way of keeping herself 'entertained' every morning.

Her style spawned from a childhood obsession to look different by buying expensive and often designer clothes. Now she has retained the ethos to be different but rejected the consumer characteristic that went with it, shopping instead at jumble sales, flea markets, charity shops and clothes swaps, where the items would otherwise be thrown away.

She described how in Poland her look attracted bullying and intimidation. “It's not that people didn't like the style, it's the fact that I stood out that was the problem. They found it really disturbing that someone had the guts to look different.”

In Brighton it's the opposite; enthusiastic onlookers stop her in the street for pictures and ask her to take part in vintage fashion shows.  Either way, she's adamant she doesn't do it to provoke, but rather for the simple pleasure of doing things differently: “We should do as many different things as possible so the world is an exciting place to be,” she said.

Her activities with The Cowley Club are by no means the full extent of her community services. She also cooks food to give to the homeless and even took part in a project that supported homeless people to squat a building and set up a housing cooperative.

Mostly though, she serves the community through her love of push bikes.

She participates in various local primary school bike clubs, teaching children how to fix bikes and ride safely.  On top of that, she plays bike polo, organises bike festivals and has taken part in the naked bike ride and the 'critical mass' bike events where cyclists ‘reclaim the streets’.

She took me to Cranks, one of the two DIY bike-fixing workshops she volunteers with, where she directed me in replacing my rear brake.  “I used to do loads of stuff with people, but I've shifted more towards bikes,” she told me. “I prefer bikes to people because they are simple and uncomplicated.”

The contradiction is obvious, since Karola gives so much of her time to socialising and helping others.

But whether it's bikes or people she will work with next, there's no doubt she will continue to make the world a more exciting place to be.

Ladies and Gentlemen, last week, I was deported to Switzerland from Helsinki and I would like to tell you my story.

My name is Marae Atallah. I wrote this letter as a result of despair, frustration and being in a poor psychological state. I have been suffering for three years while seeking asylum and have crossed seven states to do so.  Today, I am putting my fate into your hands with the hope that you will help me retrieve my humanity.

I have suffered in my Palestine in general and in Gaza City, in particular, which is my hometown. I have seen my children murdered in an attempt from the Hamas’ armed factions to kill me because I was advocating for a life of peace and harmony between us and the Jewish people, pleading that killings and wars do not and will not do any good, and that, as Christians and Jews, we have our right to live in the land of Palestine.

God is my witness, I did my best  in order to try to prevent war and murders on both  sides. I went back to Gaza in 1996 after College. For about 3 years, together with friends, I thought about a way to stop the war between us and Israel. We were 8 who set up an organisation together. We started being very active in 2001. We started talking with the Hamas and the Fatah organisations. We wanted to create peace between us first before trying to make peace with the Israelis. I met so many persons, leader, chiefs, army leaders, including people from Egypt or Jordan. We talked a lot.

There were many people from the Israeli side who were working with us on the same principles and towards the same goal, but unfortunately we, the Palestinians are the weakest link between these movements.

At that time, I had a job, I had created my small company, I was married, everything was normal.

We started talking with Israel in 2008, when our group counted about 40 individuals. Because of our activities, eight people from my group were killed, my children were murdered and my house destroyed. Armed factions also exposed me to various forms of torture. I had to escape and try to survive with the rest of my family, trying to find freedom outside Gaza. I sold some parts of my company and left, first to Egypt, then, Syria and Turkey. After 8 months and a long journey, I ended up in Switzerland where I claimed asylum.

I had imagined that my arrival in Europe would have ended my suffering and that my family and I would find some comfort and peace. But after more than 3 years in Switzerland, I am still surprised at the inhumane treatments given to asylum seekers.

For my first interview, I was interviewed for 6 hours by 5 officers. They wanted to know everything about how my children were killed. They wanted to know if they had died at home or at hospital and the time of their death. But it was not their main focus. Most of all, they wanted to know where the Hamas keeps their weapons. How can I know? They kept asking me military questions, again and again. So I thought that I wouldn't answer military questions because I'm not military and I don’t know everything. I asked to go to the toilet, they said no. I asked if I could smoke a cigarette, they said we needed to finish the interview first. After I refused to answer questions and the interview finished, the interpret told me: “you are a very brave man but you won’t get any papers”.

They invited me to other interviews. One of them was through computers, there was no person in the room. They asked me about Hamas, about Fatah, about who I was with. I tried to explain I wasn't with anyone. After 3 hours, they sent me away.

They called me to another interview, this time in Zurich. The interviewer came in the room, put his kippa on and asked me: “do you know who I am? Do you know what that means? This means I am Jewish, do you have any problem with this?”. I said I didn't have any problem with it. I said that I am a Palestinian man claiming asylum and asked him if it would be possible for him to grant me a status. He said no. And then he started asking me about Gaza, about Jordan, Syria, Egypt, my opinion on Iran or Saudi Arabia. I didn't refuse to discuss these topics because I thought that it was general politics. Then he asked me if I liked the place I was living in in Switzerland. I said no. And the interview was over, he sent me to live in this place underground, a bunker. We were about 100 people inside and there was only one door. It was under a football stadium. Every minute, every second, the police came for controls. It was like a jail, there was a place to sleep but no kitchen, nothing.

They refused my application, they said I had 5 days to leave Switzerland. I tried to appeal within the five working days legally allowed, but let me tell you what happened. They notified me on a Tuesday at .:00 pm, so the first day was gone. Wednesday and Thursday, no lawyer was working. I went to the office on Friday, they took the case and told me they needed an extra day to go through it. On Monday I went back to the office but they told me “we are sorry, we cannot do anything for you, you have to pay 1600 francs to us now”. I told her that I don’t have fingerprints and that it was my last day to appeal. She said that if I didn't pay, she couldn't do anything for me. She told me I would never get papers anyway: “You’re Palestinian, Switzerland doesn't give asylum to Palestinian people. You might stay in Switzerland but you will not have papers. If the police catch you, you will go to prison for 3 months because you don’t have documents and you have to leave Switzerland”.

Indeed they refused my appeal. They said that my stay in Switzerland is illegal and I should leave immediately. Several times I was forced to sign papers asking me to leave Switzerland or to face detention and I saw people around me being sent back to their home countries. Three of my acquaintances from Gaza were sent back to Gaza via Egypt, they were deported to Egypt and Egypt delivered them at the Rafah crossing to the Hamas, after awful imprisonment and interrogation by the Egyptian military.

I waited for a couple of days and left to Belgium. I tried to take a bus to London but I was stopped by the border police in France because I didn't have a passport. I wanted to claim asylum but they did not let me do it. I found myself in Calais with nothing for 4 months. Once, the police caught me and sent me back to Switzerland.

I went through the asylum procedure a second time. They rejected my request and my appeal a second time. The Swiss police emailed me to tell me that I would be taken back to Gaza and this is what prompted me to go to Finland for safety and protection. But the story repeated itself; after about 40 days, I was denied asylum and asked to leave Finland and return to Switzerland. I tried to appeal but once again, appeal was not effective. I was deported back, even though Switzerland had refused my request three times, put me in jail several times and I am under the threat of being returned to Gaza even if my life is at threat there. I was deported back to Switzerland from Finland, even if it meant that I would face one and a half year in detention in Switzerland or a deportation to Gaza that is synonymous with death. When I arrived in Switzerland, to punish me, they sent me to a camp for a week. Now I am being diagnosed with a lung condition and I'm still in a camp. How long will this suffering continue?

Ladies and gentlemen, I appeal to you, to your humanity and to your moral and humanitarian conscience to help me to stop this suffering. My family and I would welcome an opportunity to live a peaceful and dignified life. Please stop sending me back to Switzerland and be aware that when I will be granted a leave to remain somewhere, I will be a faithful contributor to the community, a hard worker and an example of discipline, law and order.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I have given you some record of what I have suffered. I am now 44 years old and have been in Europe for 3 years. I hope that you will kindly accept this complaint and consider my case. I thank you very much for your consideration.

Please accept my thanks and respect,

Marae Atallah

Simone spoke with us about living and working in the UK, as well as her aspirations for the future.

Simone is a proud Brazilian who loves London and the blend of cultures that it has to offer. She spent the first 25 years of her life in Brazil and still has a strong connection to the country. She worked as a journalist while living there, writing about topics ranging from shopping to education in cities.

Simone came to the UK to study and to seek a new type of life. She studied English at Metropole College upon her arrival, and began the daunting task of adjusting to life in a new city. It was during this time that Simone met her husband Maciej, a migrant from Poland. The two met through Maciej’s sister-in-law, who was taking English classes with Simone at the time.Her marriage and subsequent experiences have played a key part in Simone’s positive transition to life in London.

Now 10 years after from her journey to the UK, Simone has grown to embrace London as her home away from home. Residing in North London, her favourite parts of the city are the parks and Southbank. Hobbies include dancing, meeting friends, and going to concerts.She feels that the multicultural aspects of the city reflect her values as a migrant.“I like the diversity, it’s a dynamic city. “I can identify with London”.

Currently, Simone works as an immigration advisor for the Brazilian migrant group ABRAS (AssociaçãoBrasileira no ReinoUnido). This organization provides support for Brazilian community services and Brazilians living in the UK as a whole. Within ABRAS, Simone is involved in public relations and provides support for migrants looking to renew their visas or for advice on other immigration matters. This usually involves helping with the application process, contacting the Home Office, and serving as a representative for individual migrants.

Simone enjoys helping others through her work, especially since she knows how hard it is to stay on your feet in this environment. She believes that life in the UK is increasingly difficult for those who are not high earners. She also notices that many people are unwelcoming to migrants. “I like it here, it’s my home, but sometimes people make me feel like I don’t belong.” These kinds of challenges do of course make an impact on Simone’s views on life in London.

After living in the UK for years, Simone plans to return home with her husband and ‘do something on her own’. What this is remains to be seen, but whatever change it may bring she will be ready.

Written by: Tara Higgins and Aaron Cruz

Chaher works as a contemporary artist, writer, and filmmaker. He took the time to chat with us and touch upon life and his work in London.

Born in Damascus, Syria, Chaher first came to the UK 12 years ago to be part of a programme called the “Vincentian Volunteers”. Within the program, he worked alongside a group of young men and women from all over the world and committed a year of his life to the service of vulnerable people. Chaher’s placement was at a drop in Centre for Families and Children of disadvantaged backgrounds in London’s Westminster area. He says that his participation in the programme allowed him to grow spiritually, emotionally, and professionally: “The year was an opportunity to deepen our relationship with God, and to grow in understanding of ourselves and others, especially those who are poor”.

At the programme’s conclusion, Chaher decided to continue his education in the UK. He acquired his Hotel and Catering Management Diploma from the Institute of Commercial Management in Bournemoth, and subsequently worked in hotels across various departments for a few years. It was not until he did a course in TV presenting and Professional Communication that Chaher gained a passion for writing and filmmaking, which he has since fuelled in various ways. Now at the age of 30, Chaher does a radio show based on migrants’ lives in the UK. He is also working on both a documentary and a ballet script production. The documentary is on refugees and asylum seekers in Britain. He writes on a freelance basis, most frequently in a blog called Feelings In Brief where he showcases writings and art.  Through his work, Chaher hopes to focus on and bring attention to the issues many migrants face when coming to the UK.

Today, Chaher resides in southeast London near Greenwich Park. He enjoys being surrounded by nature and prefers the quiet area to the more crowded sections of London. The not so bustling atmosphere allows Chaher to partake in hobbies like painting, yoga, and swimming. Chaher really appreciates the diversity and open-minded environment within London. He believes the city has much to offer on a cultural level, in terms of museums, galleries, and theatres. “London is a diverse and multicultural hub, everyone is free to express and do what they feel like. There is no one to judge you and no one interferes with your life unless you want them to!”

Even as Chaher praises London’s sense of diversity, he still thinks migrants are climbing an uphill battle in adjusting to life in the UK. He strongly disagrees with the new Immigration bill, saying it will cause much harm to migrants and community cohesion. Chaher is driven to document the migrant experience through his work, and hopefully be a part of making that better future a reality.

Written by: Tara Higgins and Aaron Cruz

Cleaners currently employed through ISS to clean at SOAS University in London are going on strike on the 4th and 5th of March. The strike is part of their campaign to be employed directly by SOAS on the same sick pay, holidays and pensions as others working for the university, rather than the work being outsourced. Here is the story of one of the cleaners and why he is going on strike:

My name is Luis Armando. I am from Ecuador and have been living in London for 18 years. I started working for SOAS very soon after arriving - it would be 17 years that I have worked there now. In Ecuador, I studied 5 years at the university and got a mechanical engineering degree. But I couldn’t find a job because in those days corruption and bad governance were everywhere. I needed to go abroad. I came to the UK with my wife. We had to leave Ecuador, because like everyone else we wanted to live well. We were poverty exiles.

When I arrived in London the first barrier I encountered was the language. We could not communicate so we did not know our rights. Cleaners were invisible. Communication was the first problem because we couldn’t express what we felt. Nobody asked about us.

In that time, here at SOAS the companies paid in cash, they didn’t ask for documents when they hired you. I never had a pay or holiday problem but some of my colleagues got problems: they would work and when they had to collect their pay, they would be asked for documents… some of them wouldn’t be paid for 3 months.

Eight years ago, we started to claim our rights. It was hard because some of us were scared. We needed the job; we could not speak proper English. But we started talking with some students who could speak Spanish. We told them what was going on. We started to get organised with one union, and then we joined UNISON. We learnt more about our rights in this country. And we started our campaigns. The first step was to get recognition between the cleaning company and UNISON. Getting this gave us the power to talk with our colleagues about the union, about their rights. Then we started a campaign for the London living wage. UNISON helped, and so did professors, students and other workers. It lasted nearly two years but we were successful. We used to be paid £7.40/h, now we’re getting £8.80/h.

We also protested when they did an immigration raid. And around two years ago, we started a new campaign to ask SOAS University to bring the cleaners in-house. We have only a statutory sick pay of £85 per week and we only qualify when we work full time. The pension we have is also very basic. And we have only 20 days of holidays while SOAS employees have more than 30.

We do a lot of hard work here. We bring our knowledge, our physical labour. At work, I also painted classrooms or fixed things when they were broken. They did not have to pay someone else to do it. But SOAS doesn’t want to employ us directly. I don’t think it is fair. We do not ask for anything free. We work here, we pay taxes, we give our knowledge, we help this country. We ask for basic rights: for our sick pay, pension, and holidays to be the same as the ones of the people who work at SOAS.

We did a few demonstrations, we sent letters to MPs, embassies, students. In July 2013, SOAS created a commission to investigate the best option for them. They said it would be to create their own cleaning company and to share it with other colleges. But nothing has happened since July last year. This is why we decided to start the strike. We organised it step by step. It is legal, we don’t want anyone to be fired. I am optimistic about it. We have a lot of supporters.

Sometimes I ask myself “why does SOAS say no to bringing us ‘in house’?” We feel discriminated because at SOAS, you’re supposed to find dignity and equal rights but in reality it’s not true. And it is the same for all the contractors (security, catering, maintenance etc). However, we the cleaners are the most organised. We have learnt with time.

Cleaners currently employed through ISS to clean at SOAS University in London are going on strike on the 4th and 5th of March. The strike is part of their campaign to be employed directly by SOAS on the same sick pay, holidays and pensions as others working for the university, rather than the work being outsourced. Here is the story of one of the cleaners and why he is going on strike:

My name is Lenin Escudero, I am 37 years old. I come from Ecuador and have been living in London since 2000. Back home I was a professional footballer until I got an injury at 21 and had to stop playing. I also have a degree in teaching Physical Education. I came to the UK to find a better life because at home, all doors were closed. I saw the UK as country of opportunities and equal rights. I work 15 hours a day as a cleaner, including for SOAS University where I have been working since 2003.

I used to work even more, 7 days a week, 16-18 hours a day, now I don't work weekends any more. Monday-Friday I start working at three in the morning. I clean offices in central London from 3am to 5:45am, then start at SOAS University from 6am to 4:30 pm where I do clean-up work of classrooms, bathrooms and communal areas and move furniture. In the evening I work at the HSBC bank as a cleaner from 5:30pm to 8:30pm.

It has been very hard. One of the weakest points in my life is the lack of time I could spend with my family. By the time I arrive at home at 8pm, my kids have to go to bed. It has affected me a lot that I have spent so little time communicating with them. It is not because I don't want to, it is because the lack of time. At the end of the day we try to manage to continue living because we don't have any other option. I am the only one working, as my wife looks after our three kids. I don't work these long hours to save up money, I just work to survive, to feed my family. I would like to cut the hours, but I can't because the income is very important for my family and also we have family back home that I am supporting: my parents and my wife's parents. But the few moments I have, I try to spend a lot of time with the children and my wife.

When the children were little, they would ask me, 'why do you not spend more time at home with us? Why do you work too much? Why do you not find another job? Why can't you be a footballer?' They questioned why I work as a cleaner. So I have explained to them about that. I would have liked to work in my field (physical education) but I would need to study again to re-qualify and I can't take time off to study again to do that when I have to make a living.

I have also brought the children with me sometimes to another cleaning job and showed them what I did. And I explained to them, 'I do cleaning now, but I don't want you to do this job, I want you to do something better. I want you to study hard.' It is not a bad profession, but it is not well paid.

The children know about the campaign I have been involved in with the other cleaners at SOAS. They know what we are fighting for.

I don't feel we have fair pay and conditions. At the beginning I thought we had equal conditions, but then I would met other staff from the university, and when they were sick they would be able to take the time off they needed. But when got an injury I had a risk to lose my flat because of the low sick pay.

It was in 2003. I had an accident: chairs fell on my feet and I lost three of my toenails. I was unable to work for three weeks, and only received Statutory Sick Pay of £84 pounds per week, which was not enough to pay my rent and to make ends meet. I could not provide food for my family and I was even at risk to be evicted from my house because I couldn’t pay my rent. I had to take a loan from the bank to cover my expenses. It was very stressful for me and my family. The doctor had given me a full month for Disability, but I had to return to work while still not been fully recovered from the accident.

If had the same sick pay as other workers at SOAS, I could have taken the time off I needed to fully recover and I would not suffer from economic difficulties such as struggling to pay my expenses. Thank God that I haven’t had any other accident since then. I would not want to go through that bad experience again, because with the Statutory Sick Pay no one can survive.

At one point we went 3 months without pay for some of our work. This was while working for the previous company the cleaning was outsourced to. So what happened is that out of 30 cleaners, 12 cleaners left and that's what they wanted it seemed, because as soon as they left the vacancies weren't filled.

The people who were left had no other option but to seek advice. That is why we went to Unison. We told them about the situation and they organised a meeting. There were 30 cleaners with the same situation between the two SOAS campuses. We asked them for help to get the 3 month’s salary but then this led to them explaining to us about the London living wage, so in 2006 we started to campaign for this and for union recognition and also to be brought back in house.

I come from a background where all my family are politically involved. My mother was in the top of the party, she was involved with. Around the time when I was born, she had to hide because of her political involvement. But I was the only one never involved in any political things in Ecuador. I only liked football. So I grew up with this, but I didn't know how to do it myself.

It just started here because they wanted to cut my hours. I worked 8 hours and they wanted to cut them to 5 and a half. So I went to seek advice from the union and I was told that they couldn't just do that. I started to challenge the situation, without knowing the law. And then we started to organise. The people appointed me as a union representative and I have been one for almost 7 years. I took a lot of courses as a union rep and I have a lot of experience in the campaign now, speak publicly about these issues and feel more confident. I speak publicly about these issues.

The campaign was eventually successful in achieving the living wage and union recognition, but not being brought in house and we are still fighting for this and for dignified treatment. Here is another example why:

In 2012, I was working with my co-worker in the bathrooms on the first floor when my manager called me and asked us to go to the first floor to clean the male bathrooms. He gave us the order that from the next day, I would have to begin to clean tops, around toilets and walls and floors. I expressed my concerns regarding why we had to do a job that we have never done before. We have never done 'deep cleaning'. I have not been trained to do 'deep cleaning' so I was not able to do it. The issue was that the person normally doing this job was on holiday and had not been replaced, so the job was not done. Moreover, those toilets had not been cleaned properly for a long time, so the bathrooms were shabby. Despite this, my manger wanted us to clean them properly. This difficult work was added on top of our other daily duties.  But I was not going to receive any pay for the extra work.

My manager said that he saw no problem for me to do what I was asked to do, but I told him I wouldn't do it because it didn't not seem reasonable that he was increasing my workload when the issue was that the cleaner, who was on holiday should have been replaced. The next day I was suspended on the grounds that I didn’t want to follow reasonable instructions from my manager.

At this time we had raised a grievance against the Company, because they were not following the agreements made between Unison and the company. They knew I was one of the people behind the grievance. I think that is why they came here and asked me to do the extra job cleaning the bathroom etc. They knew I was going to say no, so they could say you didn't follow instructions, and could suspend me.

I was suspended for two months, but they didn't expect that people were behind me. Unison organised a demonstration together with the student union (UCU) and the union for the academics and because of the pressure, I got my job back. So instead of getting me to stop, I am more determined to continue the campaign because I know people are behind me.

At the beginning the other staff and students didn't understand about the campaign because they saw our work conditions as legal. And it is legal to outsource the work. But if you are outsourced, you only get the statutory sick pay, holidays and pension. And we don't think it is fair that we don't have the conditions of the other SOAS employees, especially because we are working for an educational institution that is teaching every day about equality and human rights.

They say that 'At SOAS everyone is treated equally and with dignity' and that is not true because the cleaners are not treated equally. So we started to raise our voice and people started to understand it. Because in the beginning some of them thought, 'well you work for an external company, why are you complaining to SOAS?' But SOAS is the main boss, it is still their responsibility. If they want to hire a cleaning company, they should hire one with equal work conditions because otherwise it doesn't make sense that their policies say that there is equality for everyone who work under the same roof.

We do an important job so why should we be treated differently, we are human beings. We have more risk of getting sick than anyone. Because we work moving furniture, we work with chemicals, we work in contact with bacteria every single day, so why we don't have the right to get sick pay? Over Christmas they turned off the heating in the building while we had to clean. We had to work in below ten degree temperature. And when we get old after working 20 or 30 years in this job, there is only statutory pension and how can you survive on that?

I also believe it is important for the outside world to know about this. Because this is not only a problem here, it is a problem everywhere people are working for outsourced cleaning companies. Maybe you don't hear about it in other places because they are like us in 2006 when we didn't know yet how to organise and they are afraid to speak out. Because as soon as you start to speak out you are victimised by the cleaning company. They don't victimise you directly, no they say 'no, this is still dirty' or if you are sitting down, they tell you ‘no, you can’t sit down.’ And at the end of the day you get scared. But we have to continue fighting.

The campaign is fair because we are fighting for equality and for justice. And we believe that everyone at this University needs to be treated with the same terms and conditions.  We don't believe in second class workers, especially not at this university. These are some of the reasons why I am going on strike for equal sick pay, holidays, pension, and for dignity and respect.

Cleaners currently employed through ISS to clean at SOAS University in London are going on strike on the 4th and 5th of March. The strike is part of their campaign to be employed directly by SOAS on the same sick pay, holidays and pensions as others working for the university, rather than the work being outsourced. Here is the story of one of the cleaners and why she is going on strike:

My name is Consuelo Moreno. I am Colombian and I arrived in London in January of 2002. I came to the UK with my husband and my daughter. I wanted to work to be able to support my family and I was looking for better opportunities for my daughter.  Back home, I started studying law but didn’t have the chance to finish my degree. I am currently working for three different cleaning companies, in three different places. I have to do so in order to survive. I wake up at 2.50 in the morning. I work from 4am to 9am in my first job, from 11 to 1pm in my second job. Then I go home, clean my own house and do some cooking. From 3 pm to 5 pm I see my husband. My daughter comes home at 4.45 but then I have to leave at 5 pm to do another job from 6 pm to 8 am. Then I go back home and we all eat together. When I have time, I like watching movies, going on the seaside, dance salsa.

This is my experience working as outsourced cleaner at SOAS.

In January 2004 I began working at SOAS as a cleaner for 5 hours per day. In August of 2005, another company took of over the cleaning services at SOAS and it was at that time when all the problems began. The new management wanted to reduce my working hours by 2 hours per day. I refused to accept this reduction and then I began to be victim of workplace harassment and intimidation. I felt deeply stressed and began to feel fear every day I went to work. It was like a living nightmare.

A friend of mine who knew about my situation advised me to go and talk with UNISON. I went to see the SOAS UNISON representative and he helped me to initiate a grievance procedure against my manager for his attempt to unilaterally reduce my salary and workplace harassment. It was a success. They did not reduce my working hours and they stopped harassing me. However, new problems emerged.

We began to have problems with payment to the extent that some colleagues did not receive any pay for 3 months. UNISON once again intervened and the company paid the salaries very quickly.

In 2006, I was elected as worker representative and I began, with my co-representatives, to actively organise our workplace. We formed the Justice for Cleaners SOAS’ campaign. We started to demand union recognition, the London Living Wage, and equal pension, holiday and sick pay to those working directly for the university. In 2008, we achieved 2 of the demands, union recognition and the London Living Wage.

Despite winning the London Living Wage and union recognition, this represented only a partial gain since we were still working under inferior and less favourable conditions than those are employed directly by the university. Moreover, we still suffer from injustice and exploitation. We were continually working to improve our working conditions.

In 2009, immigration officers raided SOAS and nine of our colleagues were deported due to their immigration status, including pregnant women.

These are only a few of the many problems that we face here at SOAS. Despite this, I would like to express that I am proud of being with my co-workers fighting for dignity and respect. Since 2011, we began to demand to be brought in-house. I am proud of leading the Justice for Cleaners Campaign alongside my co-workers to bring to an end the two tier workforce, to stop being treated differently from those working directly for the university, to stop being outsourced workers.

During this time, we have planned demonstration, meetings, forums, referendums and finally we began the legal procedure to go on strike. The ballot result is possible one of the most important in British trade unionism with 100% voting YES for strike action.  I would like to tell you as a result of my experience as a cleaner and UNISON representative, I am going to strike to receive the same equal working conditions as those working directly for the University.

We clean at a public institution, but still our working conditions are not fair. We are not directly employed by the university and our rights are different from the ones of people who work directly for SOAS. They have more holidays, a better pension and sick pay. There is also a lot of injustice and favouritism, especially when holidays are assigned. We want to be respected for your job because we do it with respect and honesty.

I am going to strike because I believe that it is inhumane to do not receive a decent sick pay. We are being forced to work while being ill or psychically injured.  Three years ago, I injured my ankle. Since then, I went through several treatments and my doctors advised me that the only way to recover from the injury was to undergo surgery.  However, this would require me to take 5 months off work and I would only receive statutory sick pay which would only be £87.70 a week. I would be unable to provide for my family. I therefore continued working and my condition worsened. But there is nothing I can do at the moment apart from taking more painkillers to bear with the pain.

I am really proud of the way we were able to get organised. I am also proud of the support we get from students, staff and academics at SOAS. We are not afraid any more.

I am going to strike to receive a decent pension because after working for so many years, and very long shifts, we deserve to receive a decent pension when we retired and not live below the poverty line.

I am going to strike for dignity and respect for of all outsourced and vulnerable workers.

I think that migrants bring a lot to the UK society. Our contribution is positive. We pay taxes, we bring money to the capital of this country, we do jobs that are important for the economy.

For the future, I hope that all workers will be organised and able to fight for equality and justice because everyone deserves to be respected. We should all have equal rights and dignity.

In 2009, Gonul Ekmekci set up Nefes, a traditional Turkish folk music group that aims to keep a strong connection with Turkish culture while integrating the music into British society.

Nefes means ‘breath, soul and self,’ connecting with the group’s strong desire to keep this particular traditional aspect of Turkey’s culture alive.  Gonul’s primary reason for starting this group is her love of folk music.  She feels that Turkey has changed significantly as a country, particularly in regards to migration onto the main continent of Europe.

‘Being a migrant is about going through some kind of trauma. You leave everything behind, which forms your identity.’

She wishes to maintain close links with her community and believes music is the best way to do it.  ‘People carry their music with them and it’s a way of keeping a connection with the homeland alive.’  The group’s sole usage of conventional folk instruments signifies the desire to stay true to traditional Turkish style of music. ‘We want to give a chance to anyone who wants to see what the original music of Turkey is like because we want to stay loyal to it.’

Currently Nefes practices once a week for two hours.  The group performs publicly between five and ten times a year and has showcased their music live with BBC radio 3 twice. Last July they performed at the WOMAD festival, an event that allows audiences to hear and see performances of different cultures from all over the world.

Over the past few years Nefes has evolved immensely and still continues to grow.  At the moment, it runs purely on volunteer efforts in North London, but Gonul hopes that eventually they will have enough financial support to be able to reach out to larger sections of the community.

On a personal level Gonul feels that Nefes serves as a ‘good chance to go deeper with the culture and keep a connection.’

She expresses the importance of families raising children in the UK with knowledge of their family’s traditions while also mixing with British culture.  The desire to preserve identity enables future generations to possess a natural connection with Turkish culture while also identifying with British values, habits and traditions.

Nefes empowers its members to retain a sense of self, keep a deep connection with Turkish culture alive and share beautiful music with the people of London.

Written by: Tara Higgins and Aaron Cruz

Cleaners currently employed through ISS to clean at SOAS University in London are going on strike on the 4th and 5th of March. The strike is part of their campaign to be employed directly by SOAS on the same sick pay, holidays and pensions as others working for the university, rather than the work being outsourced. Here is the story of one of the cleaners and why she is going on strike:

My name is Marta Rey. I am 55 and I came from Colombia in 1995. I had a good job in Colombia. I was a travel agent and owned my own agency, but when I came to the UK, I got a job as a cleaner. I would like to tell you about one of my experiences working for cleaning companies contracted to clean SOAS University.

I started working for SOAS eight years ago. I used to work eight hours a day, sometimes ten hours or even more. My job was like a marathon.  There was a building I had to clean on my own. I only had one hour to clean six levels, including the toilets, kitchen and gallery. Nowadays, four people are cleaning this building and they have two hours to do the job. I was running all the time.

As a result of this, on the 6th of February 2007, I tripped with a Hoover and fell on the cemented floor. I hurt my forehead, nose and mouth and suffered cuts to my upper lip as well as slightly breaking my two front teeth. I made my way to the manager’s office. He made a report of the accident but didn’t offer any help. He told me that I was free to go but didn’t take me to the hospital.

I was in a state of shock as well as bleeding from the mouth but I left the building on my own. I made my way from Russell Square to King’s College Hospital. I am still wondering how I was able to get there by myself because I cannot remember whether I took a bus or a taxi. I only remember watching my daughter walk through the Accident and Emergency room to make me company.

At the hospital, I was given a 10 day sickness leave, which was validated by my GP the next day. The cleaning company never reimbursed me the money that I had to spend at the dentist in order to fix my teeth. But I got the biggest surprise when I received my payment later on that month: the 10 days of validated sickness leave had been taken off my pay. They discounted £278. The manager first said that it was because he lost the paper from the GP. But I went back to the GP to ask for a copy, which I was charged £15 for and gave it to the manager. But I still have not been paid the money taken off my salary.

After the accident I had to attend many more appointments with my GP due to the strong headaches and the pain in both my ears that I was getting as a consequence of the impact when I fell on my face. The hours I had to attend my GP were also discounted from my monthly pay.

As a result of this, I ask myself: Dignity at SOAS? Maybe, but not for us the cleaners that have to suffer continuous abuse from our employers without SOAS caring much though they both benefit from our hard work. It is not just about me. There are a lot of people like me but they don’t say anything. There are people who have been working without contract. There is also much favouritism, especially when it comes to holidays or longer time off to go to your home country.

That’s why we don’t want to work for subcontracted companies. We want to work directly for SOAS University. Companies don’t care about us. We are just a number, nothing more. They don’t appreciate our work. We deserve better conditions, especially because we work very hard. Imagine SOAS without cleaners! It would be a sanitary emergency! With all the rubbish inside and the toilets dirty!

I have worked very hard here, I had to clean, but that’s no matter. Now my children have their life in the UK and they are happy and progressing here. I didn’t lose my time here. However, I still want the work I do to be respected and for us cleaners to have our dignity.

This is why I am going on strike on the 4 and 5 March 2014. I am going on strike for sick leave paid in times needed, I am going on strike for a fair holiday to spend more time with my family, I am going on strike for a decent pension so that when I retire I can survive without the need of other persons.

Photo: Marta (on the left) together with Fanny, Migrant Voice volunteer