Police Scotland has been accused of failing to protect its lowest-paid workers, as a controversial cleaning contractor fails to pay staff the real living wage of £12 per hour.

Atalian Servest was given a five-year £75m contract in January 2023 to provide cleaning services at 450 Police Scotland buildings, having previously been awarded contracts for facilities management and for security services at Cop26.

It has since merged with the OCS Group, and according to GMB Scotland it is not paying staff the minimum wage set out in the Scottish Government’s guidelines for public sector contractors.

The union's organiser Sean Baillie has written to Police Scotland expressing concern that the contractor, and by extension the force, is in breach of Fair Work First policies designed to improve pay and conditions for staff and contracted workers across the public sector.

Baillie said: “The guidelines could not be clearer and insist all contractors in the public sector must pay the real Living Wage as a minimum and ensure there are effective channels to allow the voice of workers to be raised and heard.

“That specifically includes trade union recognition but our many efforts to arrange a meeting with OCS to discuss its refusal to pay the Living Wage and begin talks on recognising our union have been ignored.

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“That is unacceptable and cannot stand. Not only OCS but, by extension, Police Scotland are in clear breach of the Fair Work policies.

“If Scotland’s national police force does not feel the need to comply with flagship government policies, who on earth will?”

His letter to Police Scotland asks for an urgent meeting with the chief constable, justice minister and company executives.

Baillie said: “If these policies are to be worth the paper they are written on, then ministers must act decisively when public sector organisations fail to ensure contractors are doing the right thing.

“It is regrettable that our national police force finds itself in that position but no one should be above the law.”

Staff have previously accused the company of outsourcing duties previously performed in-house to its own contractors, including changing lightbulbs in police offices, and said pay and conditions had suffered since the contract changed hands.

One said: “Police Scotland promised to sort things but have done nothing. It’s a mess, a disgrace.

“This company is squeezing every pound until it bleeds and the staff are the innocent victims.”

Gary Smith, GMB general secretary, met Atalian Servest staff in October and said their treatment shamed Police Scotland.

He said: “The everyday operation of Scotland’s national police force is built on the shoulders of these workers and they deserve better than this.

“Some have been working in the same police offices for decades but say they have never been treated with such disregard.

“It is a simple disgrace that a multinational company being paid by taxpayers has so little respect for its staff that it cannot even pay them on time and in full.

“It is little wonder morale has never been lower and it is beyond time for Police Scotland to step in and sort it out.”

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Police Scotland, along with other partners, received correspondence which will be responded to.”

OCS has been contacted for comment.