VICTORY FOR CLEANERS ON VIRGIN WEST COAST

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: january 2017 :: RMTnews 11 Virgin West Coast’s catering supplies service DHL has stepped back from reducing members pay to even lower poverty levels following a successful ballot for strike action. The £30 million catering supply contract to Virgin West Coast Train services is held by the giant German owned DHL Global group was outsourced by Virgin in 2014. The contract covers supplies of pre-prepared food, sandwiches, drinks, confectionary, crockery and cutlery for the delivery of on board catering services right the way through from London to Glasgow. DHL had offered an increase of 2.2 per cent effective from July 1 2016 instead of the original anniversary date of April 1, effectively dragging back the pay to the lowest of poverty thresholds. However DHL returned with a one year pay deal effective from April 1 2016 to March 31 2017 which has been accepted in a referendum. It has also committed to evaluate pay arrangements for all employees with the intention to address the union’s claim for pay to be in line with National Living Wage Foundation rates inside and outside of London. This element will be reviewed with the union as part of next pay review. RMT general secretary Mick Cash said that the union would not tolerate a grinding down of pay rates to poverty thresholds at a time when the political focus is all on lifting wages to decent, living levels. RMT has won a significant victory against compulsory redundancies for cleaners on Virgin West Coast working for Voith Industrial Services (Alstom Contract) and cancelled a ballot for industrial action. In the complex world of contractors and sub-contractors on Britain’s privatised railways the cleaning services are contracted out by Virgin to Alstom as part of a facilities contract and Alstom have then, in turn, subbed out the cleaning to Voith Industrial Services. RMT had gone into dispute with Voith over the company’s plans to re-organise staffing levels on the Alstom contract, which would have potentially cut 15 per cent of the overall workforce. The proposed cuts would have hit both on-board cleaners and those who clean and prepare the trains on turn- around at main rail stations. After negotiations the company announced that there would be no redundancies of any sort. RMT general secretary Mick Cash congratulated members for supporting the union and thanked reps for their resolve and determination to defend member’s jobs. “The Virgin outfit can well afford to pay decent wages and need to be held responsible for the exploitation and abuse of support staff that is now rife on their services,” he said. VICTORY FOR CLEANERS ON VIRGIN WEST COAST WEST COAST CATERING VICTORY