MITIE RECOGNITION VICTORY

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: june 2019 :: RMTnews 5 R MT will fight tooth and nail plans unveiled by London Underground to shunt out waste collection services to the private sector as part of the Transformation programme of creeping cuts and privatisation being overseen by Labour Mayor Sadiq Khan. RMT has been told that as well as an expected torrent of job cuts Tranformation will also involve privatising bin collection and transportation in the outer area from Zone 3 – flying in the face of assurances from Mayor Khan that there would be no extension of privatisation on his watch as London Mayor. RMT general secretary Mick Cash said that it was disgraceful that not only do we have a Labour Mayor gearing up to make Tory cuts under the cloak of the Transformation Programme but on his watch LU top brass are embracing Thatcherite privatisation models as a way of hacking back costs. “RMT has no intention of standing back while LU services are hacked back, carved up and handed over to greedy private companies who only cut costs by slashing pay, jobs and working conditions. “The union will be considering a report on the whole Transformation attack and the preparation for a ballot is underway. “We will be taking this fight direct to the London Mayor and City Hall and he should instruct his officials to scrap the Transformation cuts and privatisation plans with immediate effect,” he said. A fter a long, difficult campaign RMT has finally made a breakthrough by gaining recognition for Mitie cleaners working on the Network Rail managed stations contract in Glasgow. The union is now concentrating its efforts to win recognition on Mitie contracts operating at Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds and Edinburgh. Over three years ago RMT managed to get a Central Arbitration Committee (CAC) decision for a ballot on recognition across the whole of this contract, at that time the contract ran over 16 stations nationally, wholly run by Interserve. The company got up to a series of dirty tricks during the ballot and, despite of over 90 per cent who voted in favour, the union narrowly missed the 40 per cent threshold to get recognition which meant RMT was banned from trying again for three years. A couple of years ago the contract was split, with southern stations continuing to be run by Interserve but northern stations by Mitie. Given the difficulties of organising over the contract as a whole the union adopted a new strategy as Mitie ran each location as a stand-alone operation with its own budget and management structure. RMT managed to agree with the company that, as this was the case, recognition location by location, rather than for the contract as a whole, was a valid way forward. As Glasgow has the highest membership density from among the stations involved the union went forward with the campaign, concentrating on achieving recognition for collective bargaining at Glasgow Central. As a result of having well in excess of 50 per cent membership at Glasgow, RMT achieved a signed procedural agreement for collective bargaining rights with Mitie last month. Lead officer for Mitie Craig Johnston said that aim was to encourage other Mitie cleaners on this contract, station by station, to join and achieve recognition for themselves at each location in turn. “This has been a major step forward in what's been a long running, difficult and very frustrating campaign,” he said. fter a long, difficult campaign RMT has finally made a breakthrough by gaining recognition for Mitie contract ran over 16 stations nationally, wholl y y run b y y Interserve. The company got up to a series of dirty t trick y s during a whole the union adopted a new strategy as Mitie ran each location as a stand-alone operation with its own budget As a result of having well in excess of 50 per cent membership at Glasgow, RMT achieved a signed procedural f ll MITIE RECOGNITION VICTORY RMT LUL BALLOT