—Adam McGibbon 🌍 (@AdamMcGibbon) September 6, 2019
In a statement to Business Insider, CCM pushed back on the union's characterization of the dismissals.
"Of the four individuals, [because one was rehired] two were offered alternative employment, which was declined in both cases," it said in a statement. "The two other cases resulted in dismissals, which were both upheld at appeal. To CCM Facilities Ltd knowledge, none of these individuals have filed Employment Tribunal cases for unfair dismissal or any other reasons."
WeWork declined to comment.
WeWork tenants sent a letter to company leadership, pushing it to require CCM recognize the union
Other WeWork tenants took notice, like Adam McGibbon, who works in a different WeWork office about half a mile away. According to McGibbon, employees of Global Witness, which occupies the top floor of an East London WeWork, wrote and sent a letter to Adam Neumann on September 16 but did not receive a response. Neumann stepped down from his role as CEO on September 24.
The letter calls the cases for dismissal "dubious," and alleges that WeWork deprived the workers of proper investigations and disciplinary processes. The tenants called out WeWork, accusing it of not living up to its mission. "Your brand is being damaged by this dispute and it is making a mockery of your image as a compassionate company," they wrote in the letter to Neumann.
Global Witness' letter echoes the demands of the union. The tenants asked that:
- The dismissed workers immediately get their jobs back.
- WeWork commits to a straightforward and fair disciplinary process for all building staff, with a clear process for dealing with grievances.
- WeWork require CCM to recognize the union as part of its contract with them.
- WeWork recognize unions of directly employed workers.
Union members and supporters protested outside the No. 1 Poultry WeWork on Wednesday, September 18, and they have two more protests planned for the afternoon of September 25.
