CLEANERS at the Royal College of Arts (RCA) launched a campaign yesterday calling out a supervisor after they alleged “years of abuse and sexual harassment.”

Outsourced employees working for the prestigious university in west London said complaints from at least 16 people since 2023 to the RCA and its subcontractor have been ignored.

Cleaning staff represented by the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain (IWGB) demanded the institution sack the supervisor accused of abusive behaviour and called for a university investigation into the handling of complaints.

IWGB has published a detailed account of the allegations against the manager, which include “unwelcome advances.”

This included one instance when the supervisor allegedly told a worker that her husband was having an affair, hoping to convince her to go out drinking with him.

Cleaners also reported being subjected to “degrading and abusive language” from the manager, including comments about menstruation age, and homophobic and sexist slurs.

The supervisor was also said to have blocked a worker from leaving a room and recorded conversations with staff without their permission.

IWGB cleaners are planning to protest inaction regarding the claims on April 14 at the RCA’s campus in Battersea. They have also said disciplinary action was taken by the university against some cleaners who have spoken out.

Diana Zambrano Mendoza, cleaner and participant in the campaign, said RCA staff have been kept “in a state of permanent anxiety” and have been unable to “move on with [their] lives.”

She added: “Every day we have to go to work knowing that this man could be waiting around any corner.

“To the Royal College of Arts, our suffering, our fear, our repeated cries for help do not seem to matter.”

A university spokesperson said: “The RCA takes any allegation of workplace abuse and sexual harassment very seriously. We follow all complaints made about or to our third party contractors, including facilities management and cleaning, extremely closely. This includes confirming that investigations are conducted fully, fairly and impartially by any employers or contractors that we work with.”

“The RCA supports Freedom of Speech within the law, and the right to peaceful protest. For safety and security reasons, we ask that protests take place outside of our buildings.”