23 September 2016 | Jamie Harris

Julius Rutherfoord has been appointed to a cleaning contract at Freemasons’ Hall, headquarters of United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE).

Freemasons’ Hall is the principal meeting place for Masonic Lodges in London. Grand Lodge has been in Great Queen Street since 1775, the present hall being the third building on the site, having been built between 1927 and 1932.

The fully restructured routine and janitorial management team also involved the transfer of all staff from the National Living Wage to the higher London Living Wage.

Julius Rutherfoord said the extra costs of pay rises are to be mitigated through contract efficiencies, smarter operating practices, and the improved retention and commitment of operatives who are “fairly remunerated for their work”.

Marcus Heap, Julius Rutherfoord sales and marketing director, said: “We believe that treating people well is the start of a virtuous circle; operatives have a better quality of life, we see higher rates of retention (reducing recruitment and training costs) and better attendance rates. This in turn means that UGLE get a better cleaning service from a fully committed worker.”

In July, the cleaning business was appointed to a contract at Queen’s Club in West Kensington, London.