EUROSTAR CLEANERS STRIKE AGAINST 30 PER CENT JOB CUTS

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: sept 2014 :: RMTnews 4 C leaners working on St Pancras station and Eurostar contracts for high-profile facilities company Interserve took 48-hour strike action last month in a fight over massive job cuts and workplace justice. It was the second phase of strike action following a rock- solid and determined walk out earlier in the month which was marked by a large, angry and noisy picket line right outside the main entrance to the Eurostar terminal building. Like many contract cleaners, the Eurostar contract is subject to regular tender with cut-throat cleaning contractors competing to win the work. Staff get transferred from one contractor to another as companies hack back on pay and conditions to maximise profit. This is how Interserve won the St Pancras/Eurostar contract from Network Rail imposing 30 per cent job cuts on their cleaning workers and increasing pressure on the staff making up for the people who have been cut. There is also a workplace culture of aggression and bullying from the employers who expect the same standards of work and output, but with a third less staff. The workforce already suffer from low pay, no sick pay and get only the statutory minimum from our employer, but they are not prepared to be intimidated anymore. RMT is demanding an agreement on staffing levels, fair and reasonable workload s, and for staff to be treated with dignity and respect. Acting general secretary Mick Cash said that the treatment of members working for Interserve on the Eurostar and St Pancras was “a disgusting stain on London’s reputation as a world- class city. “This clearly highlights the shady and dangerous world that those who keep London clean are forced by greed and bullying to inhabit while ostentatious wealth is paraded all around them. “RMT will not tolerate a situation where these cleaners are kicked from pillar to post behind closed doors. “Remain available for talks aimed at resolving this shocking injustice which is another example of the gap between rich and poor in this wealthy City,” he said. R MT cleaners working for ISS on the East Coast contract took further strike action last month in their continuing fight for pay justice. SS workers have been battling for decent levels of pay in a long running campaign, with the wealthy company refusing to grant any increase since 2011, a position the union has described as "simply disgraceful and based on nothing but pure greed". Picket lines were mounted at stations along the route, including Scotland and Newcastle, as RMT takes its campaign for a fair deal on pay and working conditions for the ISS cleaners direct to the passengers who use the East Coast services. EUROSTAR CLEANERS STRIKE AGAINST 30 PER CENT JOB CUTS ISS EAST COAST CLEANER’S STRIKE FOR PAY JUSTICE