Low paid Belfast members launch petition following strike action

The Megaphone petition calls on Sodexo to immediately withdraw proposals to cut workers’ hours, remove all threats of redundancy, and abandon plans to merge roles into multi-functional positions.

Please sign and share the petition; it only takes a couple of minutes.

The petition, addressed to Paul Anstey, CEO for Government and Energy UK & Ireland at Sodexo, urges the company to withdraw proposals that would make members poorer and threaten jobs. Supporters are also being asked to donate to the PCS strike fund to help members sustain strike action without falling into financial difficulty.

Sodexo, a global outsourcing multinational employing more than 400,000 people across over 40 countries, reported net profits of £679 million in 2025 and is Europe’s second-largest provider of catering and facilities management services. Despite rising revenues, profits and margins, the company says it is underperforming and has introduced changes aimed at improving its financial position.

In Belfast, those changes have affected a group of just over 20 workers (the vast majority are PCS members): receptionists, cleaners, porters and kitchen staff employed at two key government sites in central Belfast, Erskine House and Carne House. These buildings house major departments such as HMRC, the Cabinet Office and the Northern Ireland Office.

Sodexo has told workers they must accept significant reductions to their working hours, cuts of between 140 and 160 hours, or face alternative role changes or redundancy. This presents an appalling choice for members: accept reduced hours and lower pay, move into different roles that may be unsuitable, or risk losing their jobs altogether.

Staffing levels are already stretched, raising concerns that further reductions will intensify workloads, worsen working conditions, and impact service delivery. There are also fears that performance targets could become harder to meet in already pressured environments.

PCS has worked to resolve the dispute through consultation, offering alternatives to redundancies and engaging directly with Sodexo management. However, the company has not made a formal offer or agreed to our bargaining demands.

As a result, members took part in strike action for a fortnight, returning to work last Thursday. Picket lines were held daily and received support from across the trade union movement, including Irish Congress of Trade Unions, NIPSA, UCU, Unison, Unite, and Belfast and District Trades Council.

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