by Joana Ramiro
and Luke James

GOVERNMENT cleaners lost their jobs after they dared to ask Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond for the living wage, it was revealed yesterday.

Fourteen of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) cleaners have been put under a disciplinary process after signing a letter to Mr Hammond requesting a meeting on pay.

Their employer Interserve said the cleaners had brought the contract into “disrepute” by doing so.

Three of the cleaners have since been made redundant in what has been dubbed a “genuinely troubling case.”

Among those who lost their jobs was Katy Rojas who said: “The government need to take responsibility for this situation because they know how much rent is, they know how much food is, they know how much transport is.

“And they know we cannot live on our wage.”

The sacked cleaners and their supporters plan to hand in new letters to Mr Hammond today in the hope he will intervene on their behalf.

The ministry however argued the sackings were due to a change in offices and not do to with the salary negotiations.

“We are in the process of vacating the Old Admiralty Building, which has reduced the number of cleaning staff required,” a spokesman for the FCO said. “We have not taken any disciplinary measures against any cleaning staff.

“Our contractor, Interserve, has assured us that no-one has been made redundant as a result of a letter asking for an increase in pay.

The cleaners, however, argued that Interserve added the letter to Mr Hammond to their disciplinary folder.Solicitor Paul Jennings said: “This is a genuinely troubling case.

“A number of employees raised legitimate concerns with the Secretary of State about levels of pay and the difficulties they face meeting the cost of living. The letter to the minister was professional and courteous.

“It conveyed a very compelling and personal account of the pressures faced by people working as cleaners within the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

“It is extremely worrying that a group of vulnerable and low-paid workers may face possible sanctions for raising their voices about the impact of low pay.

“We are currently seeking an explanation from Interserve. If that explanation is not satisfactory, we will look to issue formal proceedings.”

An Interserve spokesman said the company was “committed to paying its employees a fair wage.”