THE FOREIGN Office has been urged to consider insourcing its cleaners and caterers after they unanimously rejected a pay offer from private contractor OCS and voted to strike.

Members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union refused a deal that would have given most of them no more than the Living Wage Foundation’s UK living wage of £12 per hour.

“They are also angry at OCS’s refusal to give them the same sick pay and annual leave as workers directly employed by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO),” the union said.  

PCS general secretary Fran Heathcote said OCS had been presented with a PCS cost-of-living survey which demonstrated the “completely unacceptable” level of financial hardship among its employees.

“This strike action will be a powerful reminder of how fundamental our members are to keeping the FCDO running.

“The FCDO must now consider insourcing the contract in line with the policy of the new government.”

OCS was contacted for comment.