CLEANING contractor Mitie won GMB Scotland’s Christmas Scrooge prize yesterday after bosses repeatedly refused to pay school janitors a living wage.

The union called on Scottish councils to force Mitie to either pay a living wage of £8.25 an hour or shut the firm out of public-sector contracts.

All 32 local authorities in Scotland have committed to the living wage but Mitie refuses point-blank to pay.

Mitie has a contract with South Ayrshire Council employing cleaners across five schools but paying them £1 less than those employed directly by the council.

GMB regional officer Paul Arkison said Mitie’s attitude was “completely unacceptable and socially irresponsible” and slammed the company for its “poverty levels of pay.”

He said it was “mind-boggling” that despite having a huge operating profit of £128.6 million, the “cash rich” company continues to ignore repeated calls from the union to pay staff the living wage.

In some cases pay is so low workers have to claim benefits to supplement their meagre income, meaning the “already hard-pressed taxpayer is adding to Mitie’s vast profits,” Mr Arkison blasted.

He called on the company to treat its employees with compassion and respect, saying: “If Mitie paid the living wage to its lowest-paid staff then this would boost the living standards of many families in South Ayrshire.”

Mitie was unavailable for comment on the matter.