TUBE CLEANERS PROTEST OUTSIDE PARLIAMENT

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: february 2020 :: RMTnews 4 RMT held a demonstration outside Parliament last month and launched a new report into the scandal of privatised cleaning on London Underground. The report, Dirty Work: ABM and the outsourcing of London’s Underground cleaners’, shines a light on the unknown world of the 2,000 workers who keep the Underground clean and hygienic for the two million passengers who use it every day. The report shows that: • More than one in three cleaners treated unfairly and discriminated at work or by their employer • 68 per cent believe their employer put profits before working conditions or passenger concerns • 68 per cent said that they sometimes or regularly struggle to make ends meet • 76 per cent said that they believed passengers would benefit more if their jobs were brought in-house • 91 per cent said they would rather be employed in-house The protest takes place as the current Mayor Sadiq Khan consults on his Manifesto prior to the forthcoming Mayoral election in May. Mr Khan handed the multi-million-pound five-year cleaning contract, employing 2,000 cleaners to ABM in 2017. RMT’s report will form part of the union’s responses to the consultation calling for all cleaners on London Underground and Overground to be brought in-house. MPs joined RMT members for the demonstration and tabled Early Day Motion 71 in Parliament calling on the Mayor to bring cleaning workers on London Underground and the Overground network into direct employment. RMT general secretary Mick Cash said that London Transport cleaners were the hidden hard- working workers struggling to get by and still battling to do their jobs properly while the private companies that employ them cut corners in search of profits. “Now we learn London Underground cleaners are reporting widespread discrimination while their US employer ABM also stands accused of putting profit before passengers. “This should not be happening under a Labour Mayor and this report should be a wake-up call for Sadiq Khan to end the scandal of cleaning privatisation on London Underground and London Overground and bring these workers in-house,” he said. TUBE CLEANERS PROTEST OUTSIDE PARLIAMENT New RMT report expose scandal of treatment of workers who keep the Underground clean THE EARLY DAY MOTION 71 OUTSOURCING OF TFL UNDERGROUND AND OVERGROUND CLEANERS “That this House pays tribute to cleaners employed on London Underground and Overground who keep the capital's transport network clear of obstructions, and maintain it in a hygienic state while working unsocial hours in dirty and hazardous conditions; notes that Transport for London continues to use outsourcing companies ABM and Vinci to employ cleaners on London Underground and the Overground rail network; notes with concern that a recent RMT survey of ABM cleaners revealed that the overwhelming majority struggle to make ends meet on low pay, have far worse working conditions than directly employed staff and believe that ABM puts profits ahead of passenger and staff concerns; further notes that the overwhelming majority of cleaners want to be directly employed and brought in-house and believe that bringing all cleaning staff on London's Underground and Overground network in-house will help improve working conditions for this vulnerable group of workers, improve the quality of service for passengers and represent greater economy and efficiency; and urges the Mayor of London to commit to bringing these workers in-house and to convene a working group with the RMT union and other stakeholders to discuss how this can be achieved.” Tabled January 16 2020