GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY CLEANERS STRIKE

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: january 2017 :: RMTnews 7 A fter a seven-year battle Abellio Greater Anglia has finally agreed to begin to bring agency workers in-house. The union first went into dispute with National Express East Anglia back in 2009 over the use of agency staff. Abellio took over the franchise and it was agreed that a joint working party would be set up to bring agency staff in-house. The first group in employed at Cambridge were transfer into the company as gateline operators with the scheme being monitored closely to determine the merits of bringing in further agency staff at other locations. As well as negotiated levels of pay, the company has stated that other benefits would also follow such as sick pay, membership of the company pension scheme and annual leave entitlement, with the opportunity for career progression within the company. RMT general secretary Mick Cash said that it was an incredible achievement and all that all agency staff had wanted was decent working conditions, the opportunity to have job security and permanent employment within the company. “I would like to congratulate the lead officer and company council representatives who have worked tirelessly to pursue the company into bringing agency workers in house on decent terms and conditions. “It is without doubt that their hard work and persistence has paid off and brought about a magnificently positive result,” he said. R MT cleaners have taken a number of days of strike action over serious bullying, discrimination and poverty working conditions on the Great Western Railway (GWR) train cleaning contract operated by Servest UK. A delegation of cleaners and their supporters also travelled to GWR’s Swindon head office to deliver a petition. GWR is hiding behind its sub- contractor to avoid proper responsibilities to the workers who clean their trains. The dispute involves cleaners working on GWR and is over a number of issues including: pay; parity with GWR Staff; annual leave; provision of safety clothing and an agreement for a permanent workforce and an end to the use of agency workers. The union is calling for current agency workers to be made members of GWR staff to end the current situation of a two tier workforce. Despite RMT requests for talks to discuss ways to resolve members' very serious complaints, GWR has refused to commit to meaningful talks on making adjustments to their contract with Servest UK. The strike days follow a ballot result where 98 per cent voted for strike action. The issues have come to a head as a result of the failure of members’ terms and conditions to be safeguarded when they were transferred over to Servest UK from Mitie on the GWR contract. RMT general secretary Mick Cash said that cleaner members on GWR would not stand by while they were mercilessly exploited by privateers, while rail companies filled their coffers as fares soar through the roof “GWR and Servest UK can bring an immediate resolution to this dispute by immediately addressing the issues over pay and other grievances and starting the process of bringing these workers back in-house so that they are on the same terms and conditions as the rest of the staff,” he said. GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY CLEANERS STRIKE GREATER ANGLIA WORKERS BROUGHT IN-HOUSE