RMT DIVERS JOIN MILLIONS CELEBRATING ESSENTIAL WORKERS

With millions clapping as a mark of solidarity with Britain’s essential workers and NHS heroes, RMT members sent their own message of support from over 300 feet below the North Sea. The picture linked below is of RMT professional divers on the Jura Field for Total from the support vessel Rever Polaris sending their personal thanks to the NHS. In addition, RMT has had reports of over 100 diver medics signing up as volunteers to help ease the pressure on NHS staff during the Covid-19 emergency. RMT general secretary Mick Cash said that the union was proud of members who are carrying out their own essential work deep below the North Sea taking the trouble to send out their own message of support to our NHS workers. “This is what trade union solidarity is all about. “RMT members are keeping the energy supplies flowing, the trains, tubes, lorries and buses running and the ships bringing essential supplies sailing. “It is the efforts of a huge army of essential workers across a wide range of services that will pull us through this crisis and they deserve every bit of the public support that will be on display each Thursday evening,” he said. RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: may bulletin 2 2020 :: RMTnews 7 R MT has blasted Merseyrail station cleaning and facilities’ contractor Mitie for using the cover of the Covid-19 crisis to withdraw a pay award dated back to July last year. The union said that it was a profiteering move that displays the most disgraceful and cynical opportunism in the midst of the current emergency. The pay offer, which RMT had fought hard for through a long campaign, would have lifted pay rates to £9 per hour, an important staging post in the union fight to get the workers onto the Real Living Wage. The union had accepted the back-dated offer but staff have now been informed by email that it has been pulled, denying them £500 in back pay and leaving them with the prospect of being £1,000 a year worse off per annum. RMT general secretary Mick Cash said that it was “disgusting and disgraceful opportunism” by Mitie on Merseyrail to use the cover of the coronaviris crisis to kick these low paid cleaning and facilities staff in the teeth. “We know that the public in Merseyside will be as outraged as we are and will want to join us in a campaign to reverse this sickening decision. “The union will be mounting and rest assured we will fight tooth and nail for pay and workplace justice for the Mitie Merseyrail workforce,” he said. RMT DIVERS JOIN MILLIONS CELEBRATING ESSENTIAL WORKERS MERSEYRAIL CONTRACTOR MITIE BETRAYS WORKERS