Emergency food bank set up in government department after some staff go unpaid for months Cleaners and support staff were left without full wages after a payroll blunder

An emergency food bank has been set up at a government department after a payroll blunder failed to pay cleaners and support staff.

Workers at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy were asked to donate and drop off food at four points that were set up in the Whitehall office.

In an email seen by The Sunday Times, staff in Business Secretary Greg Clark‘s department were told their help was needed following problems with ISS World, the department’s new facility services contractor.

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The email said that every single pay day since since the contractor had taken over the contract on 1 March, “our staff have not been paid, paid incorrect amounts, unexplained deductions, etc”.

Pay day blunders

It added: “This has resulted in cleaners unable to travel to work as they have no money for bus fares, a member unable to give their wife transport money to take their sick son to the GP, forcing her to walk for 1.5 hours and others facing eviction proceedings. The situation has become unbearable for them.”

It added: “We have called for crisis talks with [department] senior management, after repeated assurances have been reneged on . . . Please donate whatever you can urgently.”

ISS is a Danish facility services company that offers cleaning services, support services, property services, catering services, security services and facility management services.

It has nearly 500,000 employees and activities in approximately 65 countries across Europe, Asia, North America, Latin America and Pacific.

Food donations

A spokesperson for the DBEIS said: “We have ensured that any pay issue of contractors that ISS is aware of since it took over the contract has been resolved, with staff affected paid any monies owed.

“BEIS is in daily contact with ISS, who are meeting any additional costs incurred by staff due to the error and are contacting every contractor to ensure any further errors not yet identified are resolved within the same day.”

i has contacted the company for comment.