A private contractor is billing Police Scotland £60 to change a lightbulb, according to cleaning staff at the force's buildings.
Atalian Servest was awarded a five-year £75m contract in January to provide cleaning services at 450 police buildings.
As previously reported by The Herald, staff have experienced numerous issues with the company since it took over from Churchill in April, including wages being wrong; the HR portal where staff can check pay and holidays being unreliable; agreed holidays being refused; staff now being asked to work bank holidays; and supervisors not being allowed to give up the role despite not being paid more for the extra responsibility.
GMB Union said most of the staff, who go through a rigorous vetting procedure and handle sensitive information, do not earn more than the living wage of £10.90 per hour.
Those employed by Atalian Servest in Police Scotland buildings say the company, owned by private investment firm Clayton Dubilier & Rice, is squeezing the force for every penny of taxpayers' money, with cleaners now ordered to call in specialist contractors for mundane tasks.
One worker, who has been based in the same station for more 15 years, said: "I clean the cells and up until now I would only call for a special clean if there was a health risk from blood or whatever.
“If there was some food on the wall, I would clean it myself but now I have been told to get a specialist team in. The police will be charged for it, of course.
“I used to change the lightbulbs, now I’m told to call for support, so one of the company’s electricians can come out, change the bulb, and charge the police £60.
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“They don’t care about the police, they don’t care about their staff. It is all about the profit.
“We love our jobs but it is harder and harder to do them. We are not being paid on time, or the correct amount. We are not getting the equipment we need. We can’t speak to anyone. It’s awful.”
Another worker, who has cleaned the same station for more than 20 years, said conditions have never been worse for staff.
She said: “We worked six weeks without being paid when this new company came in then some of us only got four weeks money.
“Every pound is a prince at the moment and we don’t even know how much will be going into the bank.
“We can’t speak to anyone and get shunted from pillar to post. We just get sent to this online portal. We are meant to be our own HR department, it's absolutely shocking.
“We are loyal to the police, to the buildings we’ve worked in for years and years, but so many of us are ready to go now.
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“The police need to know they are not getting the service. They are paying a lot of money for nothing at all.”
The GMB Union staged a demonstration outside of the Police Scotland headquarters on French Street in Glasgow on Thursday to call for urgent action to resolve the issues.
Police had previously arranged a meeting with representatives and staff, with an urgent meeting now scheduled for Tuesday to discuss the issues which have been raised.
GMB Scotland organiser John Slaven said: “It is shocking that standards and the conditions staff are being asked to endure have deteriorated so quickly since this contract changed hands.
“There has been absolutely no meaningful engagement from the company to deal with these issues as a matter of urgency: Police Scotland, sort it out.
“These are loyal, committed workers but the lowest paid in the organisation. They deserve so much more than this.”
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "Atalian Servest was appointed following a procurement process in accordance with our statutory obligations.
"These staff concerns have been brought to our attention and in accordance with our commitment to Fair Work practices, Police Scotland has arranged a meeting with all representatives and staff to understand these issues and help support a resolution to these matters."
Atalian Servest has been contacted for comment.
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