A cleaner has allegedly been sacked after refusing to go into work without PPE amid the coronavirus crisis.

Gustavo Mateus Acosta, 61, who worked in the Tower Bridge area of London, claims he felt ‘extremely unsafe’ at work after spending two months begging Atalian Servest to provide masks and gloves.

The Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain has named the case one of ‘conscious cruelty’ and has vowed to pursue legal action on his behalf – but the facility management company has denied wrongdoing, claiming the employment was terminated due to ‘performance reasons’.

Speaking to Metro.co.uk, Gustavo said he and about eight others were forced to buy their own PPE when they were only given enough for one or two days a week throughout March – despite being expected to clean public toilets and offices, used by hundreds of people every day.

As the virus began to take a firmer grip on the country, Gustavo says he ‘fought for his rights’, appealing to his manager for protective equipment ‘countless times’.

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The team was allegedly told the company had decided masks were unnecessary but gloves would be provided.

However, Gustavo claims workers were still forced to spend their own money on PPE after too little was acquired.

He said: ‘I went and bought some gloves and other colleagues also did this so we were all safe – but this was because of our own personal equipment, not because the agency cared about the situation.

‘I’m 61 and I was very worried about working without gloves. I asked so many times.’

The situation at Atalian Servest allegedly came to a head when Boris Johnson announced the UK would be going into lockdown on March 23.

When the government did not immediately make it clear if cleaners were classified as key workers, Gustavo’s team put on a ‘united’ front and refused to go into work after ‘weeks of not receiving adequate PPE’.

Things became heated when a manager called Gustavo to tell him he counted as an essential worker and demand he return.

He said: ‘When the manager told me I had no choice but to go to work, I responded “will you come to work with us and work with us without gloves and PPE equipment?”

‘She responded that she was a manager, not a supervisor and didn’t have to do that. She was very upset.’

When the cleaner realised that his colleagues had returned to the job on Wednesday after being promised PPE, he began to fear he would be punished for being the last employee to go back.

He was allegedly told by a supervisor ‘don’t worry about it, everything is going to be okay if you go to work’ – so was taken by surprise when he was told weeks after that his contract was being terminated more than three months early on April 21.

As millions are encouraged to return work under Boris Johnson’s lockdown exit plan, Gustavo is now left without the choice and is struggling to support his family back in Ecuador.

He says his manager blamed the dismissal on his ‘poor performance’, specifically citing one incident in which he did not clean a floor well – but insists his supervisor signed off on a document that confirmed the hoover was not properly working at the time.

Atalian Servest also allegedly claimed he had ignored a direct instruction from a client, but Gustavo says he spoke only to supervisors in his job and had no contact at all with clients.

He said: ‘I’m upset because it’s extremely unfair. I didn’t go to work because I was concerned about having PPE while the prime minister was telling me to stay home. What they’ve done and how they’ve approached the situation is extremely unfair.

‘I’m looking for a job while fighting my dismissal, but I’m worried about taking care of my wife and I’ve got family in Ecuador to look after.’

He added: ‘It’s interesting that they argued it was performance when the same company asked me to work over 127 hours overtime. It’s just a bit contradictory that the company that argues my performance is not right also asks me to do a high amount of overtime.’

An IWGB spokesperson said: ‘The actions of Atalian Servest are more than just a matter of neglect, they are a case of conscious cruelty. 

‘Gustavo only asked for his basic human right to be safe in his place of work. In response, the company sacked him. The IWGB will pursue all legal avenues to secure justice for Gustavo.’

An Atalian Servest spokesman said: ‘We cannot provide details of employment or probation reviews. With regard to this instance, I can confirm that employment was terminated due to performance reasons and not related to Health & Safety issues. 

‘Please be reassured that we prioritise the health, safety and wellbeing of our employees, customers and the public at all times.’

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