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RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: march 2017 :: RMTnews 11 employers’ successes are often treated no better than a tool, a sleeper, a piece of rail or ballast – to be used and discarded when no longer wanted, without regard for them or the work they have done. These Victorian practices are not only grossly unfair, but are probably illegal in some cases. Infrastructure sub-contractors or agency workers are workers in supervisory, skilled, semi- skilled and unskilled grades at a number of key agencies or contractors that have supply contracts with Network Rail or London Underground. Over the years Network Rail and London Underground have both re-negotiated or re- tendered their contracts with supply companies bidding against each other to secure the contracts. Making reduced cost one of the main factors to win a bid set in motion a ‘race to the bottom’ among the bidding agencies and contractors, a race which hits the infrastructure sub-contractor and agency workers hardest. Many individuals are now paid less than ten or even 15 years ago, while the agencies and contractors are raking in increasing profits for their owners and shareholders. Sub-contracting To make matters worse, a new breed of sub-contractors sometimes known as ‘gang masters’, who often work on the infrastructure themselves, are setting themselves up as ‘sub- agencies’ to supply infrastructure workers to the principle agencies or contractors. To work for a sub-contractor to a principal agency generally means seeing a regular payment being skimmed off your wages, and being prone to even more abuses thanks to the unregulated manner in which these sub-sub agencies operate. Moreover, most infrastructure workers work through accountants who handle their pay and ‘human resource’ issues. These accountancy firms commonly help themselves to a generous slice of the workers’ wages for little assistance in return, often locking the workers into using their ‘services’ through their close relationship with the work agencies. Often managers in the work agencies also run these accountancy firms as well, leading to the total entrapment of workers. Many agencies and sub- contractors claim they have any sick pay or holiday schemes but often this is not the case or claim that low-paid employees should be putting money away themselves to provide for themselves. Pensions are also non-existent amongst these workers. Despite health and safety laws, infrastructure workers are regularly expected to perform unsafe work to “get the job done”. If they refuse they’re told to “get another job”, or they may just happen to get laid off. Facilities such as lockers, cleaning and messing facilities are mostly non-existent and workers are often denied breaks on long possession shifts. Aims of the charter RMT’s aim is to end the abuse and bring rates of pay and conditions of service up to the best in the industry. This will not happen overnight, but RMT will challenge each and every company on the basis of this charter and the benchmarks within it. The aspirations in the charter are not exhaustive, but will be utilised in the formulation of a pay and conditions claim submitted by the RMT on behalf of infrastructure workers. The aims of the Infrastructure Workers’ Charter: • EMPLOYMENT SECURITY • END LOW PAY • HOLIDAY PAY • PAID SICK LEAVE • PENSIONS • TRAVEL PASSES • FAIR DISCIPLINARY PROCEDURES • GRIEVANCE PROCEDURES • HEALTH, SAFETY AND WELFARE AT WORK • UNION AND HEALTH AND SAFETY REPS The charter has set out the unacceptable situation infrastructure workers find themselves in and the changes needed to make working conditions fit for the 21st century. Research shows that in companies and workplaces where the union is well organised, rates of pay are higher and terms and conditions better. Therefore the charter is a recruitment tool to encourage people to join the union to improve their condition at work, copies are available from head office and from your branch secretary.