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Poor old Philip Purcell is a man besieged on all sides. Last month, London theatregoers heading to the Old Vic to see Kevin Spacey perform in National Anthems, a parable of American materialism, found placard-waving demonstrators demanding a better deal from Morgan Stanley for its office cleaners at Canary Wharf. The cleaners are asking for a minimum wage of £6.70 an hour, 28 days’ paid holiday each year, sick pay and a company pension scheme.
Fair enough, but what has it to do with Morgan Stanley? The cleaners work for a contract cleaning company that bids for the US firm’s business.
This cuts little ice with one of the cluster of white, male organizers from the T&G union scurrying around handing out leaflets. “Morgan Stanley have paid £500,000 to sponsor this play,” he says. “All we’re saying is that if they can afford that, surely they can afford to pay their cleaners a living wage.” He gestures at two middle-aged Afro-Caribbean women, stoically holding their banners in the chill London air: the token cleaners. “All they get is £5 per hour.”
Apparently the news has not filtered down that Morgan Stanley’s CEO has other things on his mind and is even now fighting for his own job against attacks from dissident shareholders. The T&G man looks scornful. “The guy took home £13 million last year. How much trouble is he really in?”
The T&G calculates that it would take a Canary Wharf cleaner 21 years to earn what Purcell earns in a week.
Morgan Stanley declined to comment.
