ST PANCRAS NETWORK RAIL CLEANERS STRIKE

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: february 2012 :: RMTnews 7 S triking cleaners at St Pancras International won fantastic support from the public earlier in their fight against poverty. Around seventy pickets and supporters launched the first of two planned 48-hour strikes with horns and drums, bringing a carnival atmosphere to the London Eurostar terminal. The workers employed by Initial have not had a pay increase for maintaining the opulent Eurostar terminal in four years and have been offered a pathetic 13p taking them to £ 6.76 an hour, miles short of Boris Johnson’s London living wage of £8.30 an hour. RMT general secretary Bob Crow said that it was disgraceful that the cleaners who mopped up in the St Pancras champagne bar suffer poverty pay. "RMT is appalled that Network Rail, a public body still reeling from its own bonus scandal, has not lifted a finger to stop this exploitation by its cleaning contractors in the run up to the Olympics," he said. RMT has written to Network Rail demanding an investigation into allegations that Initial is using an “in house” agency to break the strike which is employing Bulgarian and Romanian workers registered as self-employed with limited company status to avoid basic UK employment rights and to get round EU agency worker regulations. Bob warned the company that vulnerable workers were being exploited by Initial to break the strike rather than seeking a negotiated settlement. R MT has secured a £500 Olympics and Paralympics payment for Virgin Trains staff as part of a package which will also see wages and allowances rise by 4.6 per cent or £950 (whichever is the greater) from April this year and a £500 flat rate payment for all staff covered by collective agreements for additional pressures on services throughout the Olympics period. Staff will also get an extra days leave for the Queens Diamond jubilee. The latest agreement comes on top of other Olympic deals agreed by RMT including : • Network Rail - £500 flat rate • London Overground - minimum of £600 guaranteed with more for the majority of staff • Docklands Light Railway - £900 flat rate plus guaranteed overtime at enhanced rates making the deal worth around £2500 while negotiations with London Underground are continuing. RMT General Secretary Bob Crow said that it was another deal that protected members’ standards of living and rewards them for carrying the extra pressure of the Olympics. “It is also another victory for the union’s industrial campaigning and organising strategy which has delivered the goods for our members once again and is a tribute to the skill and experience of RMT negotiators,” he said. ST PANCRAS NETWORK RAIL CLEANERS STRIKE OLYMPIC DEAL AT VIRGIN