Blackmail arrests at Kingston Hospital contractor (From Your Local Guardian)

Blackmail arrests at Kingston Hospital contractor

11:20am Friday 20th November 2009

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Police arrested three managers from the private contractor that cleans Kingston Hospital for blackmail offences on Thursday morning, after an investigation involving the UK Border Agency and the Kingston Race and Equalities Council (Krec).

The hospital offices of ISS Mediclean were searched after police obtained a warrant, and two men aged 47 and 43 and a woman aged 28 were arrested at a separate location.

Sources said the arrests were related to allegations that staff working for the company had been told they had to give money to a manager or they would not have a job or receive back pay.

It was also alleged a number of staff employed by the firm, which has been at the hospital since 2003, were from Ghana and working illegally.

Michael Walker, regional manager of Unison, said staff had been raising concerns with the branch representative for more than a year, and the union met senior national managers of ISS on February 9 to raise their concerns.

He said: “He gave a guarantee that he had personally investigated them and there was absolutely no truth in them.”

He said the company had threatened the union with de-recognition and a libel action.

A Kingston Hospital spokesman said: “The trust is grateful to the police and the UK Border Agency for the attention and priority they have given to this issue.

"We would also like to pay tribute to the key role that Krec has played.”

An ISS spokesman said it was co-operating fully with the enquiry and “has robust procedures for the correct engagement of employees, and as an organisation regularly conducts checks of all of our operatives across the country.

"These relate to the staffs’ right to work in the UK, as well as identifying any national insurance irregularities.

“These checks are carried out regularly. An internal audit at Kingston Hospital has been carried out within the past month.

“Immediate steps have been taken to ensure that the correct levels of management and staff remain in place and ISS is keen to assure everyone that this action will have no effect to the high standards of service that are expected throughout the hospital.”

Kingston police said further enquires were expected to take several weeks to complete.

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