WASHCO makes big laundry donation
WASHCO has come to the rescue of a local charity by donating three months’ worth of laundry chemical supplies to Ronald McDonald House Oxford.
COVID-19 had a massive impact on the charity sector, with many causes struggling to raise the funds to survive at a time where many fundraising events were cancelled. Despite this, Ronald McDonald House Charities UK opened a new 62-bedroom facility at Oxford’s John Radcliffe Hospital, and has continued its commitment to providing free accommodation to families with sick children in hospital.
The Oxford facility is just one of many ‘Houses’ in the UK situated in or near hospital grounds. The facilities, which include dedicated laundry rooms, are a vital form of support for the children and families, helping them to maintain a degree of normal life.
WASHCO Sales Director, James Holmes, commented: “We have been impressed by the impact that Ronald McDonald House has for those parents with a child in hospital, particularly over the last year. As many of our customers are in social care, we are acutely aware that charities have played a critical role in maintaining safety and infection control during the pandemic and, as a business, we are committed to giving back to our communities.
“When I heard that the new House had opened at the John Radcliffe for families with a sick child in hospital, we considered how we could best support the charity at a time when fundraising is very tough, and decided a product donation would have the most impact.”
Reading mum Claire Willis said: “When our son Teddy had surgery at the age of one, we could not have coped as a family without Ronald McDonald House. Having a room meant everything to us, we could function, we could go to bed and rest but we had a phone by our bed with a direct line to the ward and intensive care. We had access to washing machines, dryers and irons, so when Teddy was very ill after his surgery and was sick all on his comfort blanket, within an hour it was washed and tumble dried.
You can’t appreciate what the facility means until you experience it.”
Caroline Sinclair, Ronald McDonald House Charities UK Fundraiser, added: “We were overwhelmed when James and the WASHCO team got in touch to offer laundry chemicals to us, saving us a huge cost. We do all our laundry in-house and families staying with us also have access to a laundry room so this is a significant help to us.”
www.rmhc.org.uk
Landmark victory for Paris hotel cleaners
After an almost two-year battle, cleaning workers at a hotel in Paris have won an historic victory to improve pay and working conditions.
20 staff members from the Ibis Batignolles hotel in Paris went on strike about pay, working conditions and regular work hours in July 2019, eight months before the COVID-19 pandemic struck and all were placed on state benefits. Unions, the public and even politicians were drawn in to support the dispute.
The victory means cleaners have the right to work longer hours at a slower pace, take 30-minute breaks and use a
www.tomorrowscleaning.com
punch clock to ensure that overtime pay is received. Strikers claimed the work was merciless, with no breaks and ‘not even the right to drink a little water’.
Pay rises of €250-500 per person have been secured, with some staff members also moving to full-time contracts. Chants of ‘Slavery is over, mistreatment is over’ from the workers could be heard as the agreement was signed.
The victory is significant as economist François-Xavier Devetter explained to AFP. He said: “We’re in a world where workers actually call for punch clocks, which they hated back in the 1960s and 70s. Punch clocks have become a tool to ensure labour laws are respected.”
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