Thursday 05-05-2022 - 14:32

Mitie Must Fall are a group of students who are campaigning against the University’s contract with Mitie. Find out more about their upcoming Day of Action in the blog post below. 

 

This year on Friday 27^th May MitieMustFall Durham will be holding their Day of Action against the university’s £5 million controversial contract with Mitie.

 

Mitie is the UK’s largest provider of services for migrant detention centres and has an incredibly troubled history of dangerous and inhumane conditions that devalue the humanity of detainees. In addition to this, they have a substantial record of abuse and poor management at their facilities with appalling treatment of staff and paying poverty wages to employees. A notable example of this is at the Mitie-managed Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre where a 2021 visit reported unsanitary conditions, overcrowding, and poor ventilation. Mitie provide cleaning, landscaping, and security services to Durham University, which demonstrates complicity in labour and human rights abuses against migrants and some of the most vulnerable in our society.

 

Currently, Durham is a body of hypocrisy: it cannot claim to welcome migrant students, refugees, and international students while being complicit in abhorrent practices and treatment of migrants. The University aims to be a more welcoming and open institution but cannot do so when it is closely associated with a company that engages in such reprehensible activities. Durham can and must lead the way to becoming a more welcoming institution and eradicating its elitist reputation.

 

The University has previously experienced protest regarding their relationship with Mitie, organised by Durham’s People and Planet Society. Since 2017, there have been motions passed within JCRs, statements made by the Students’ Union, and two Open Letters have been written however, Durham were unresponsive and continued to renew their contract with Mitie in 2018. We truly believe that a change of Vice-Chancellor, along with the organised day of action will be able to finish the efforts of previous students and finally enact change.

 

The Open Letter linked below demands an immediate commitment to insourcing the ownership and management of existing Mitie staff as soon as the current contract ends, as well as a complete protection of jobs and workers’ rights. Additionally, to ensure that similar contractual relationships are not signed in future, the Open Letter demands an amendment of the ‘Responsible Procurement’ policy to include provision against engaging with companies involved in the border industry.

 

We strongly urge and encourage you to sign the Open Letter and join us on the 27 of May where we will be accompanied by speakers and performances in order to raise awareness about Durham’s contract with Mitie. As well as signatures, the presence of students, staff, academics etc. at the day of action would also be greatly appreciated. It will undoubtedly help to raise awareness about the issue and also show support towards migrant, refugee, and international members of the Durham community.

The most effective way to implement change is if we can demonstrate the support of the university community which is why the importance of the signing of the Open Letter and the success of the day of action cannot be understated. Finally, the day of action will end with the handing in of the Open Letter to the Vice-Chancellor which will hopefully mark the beginning of change.

 

Relevant links

Harmondsworth Center Report 2021

Breaking of COVID-safety laws

Failing to escalate the investigation of racist WhatsApp messages

Dover and Folkestone Center Report 2021

 

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