TRANSPORT UNIONS WARN OF RISKS IN REDUCING SOCIAL DISTANCING

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: july/august 2020 :: RMTnews 6 O n International Justice Day for Cleaners and Security Guards last month, RMT called for an end to outsourcing on the railways. RMT called on the government to use its power to promote an in-sourcing revolution on the railways as the union joined in International Justice Day for Cleaners and Security Guards. As a new report from the TUC shows, while the Covid-19 crisis has illuminated that cleaning is essential work, it’s also one of the most outsourced sectors of the economy and is associated with lower pay and insecure employment. Outsourcing of cleaning is rampant across the rail network with Train Operating Companies sub-contracting out the ‘turnaround’ and ‘deep cleaning’ of trains as well as the cleaning of stations, often to the same outsourcing companies that dominate cleaning in other sectors. Cleaning has also been sub- contracted to outsourcing companies by public authorities like Network Rail and Transport for London, whose 2,000 Underground cleaners are outsourced to US giant ABM. In recent RMT report revealed the cost of outsourcing for the cleaners who are putting their lives on the line every day to clean the Underground and make it safe to travel on: • More than one in three cleaners said they had been treated unfairly at work or by their employer because of a characteristic they have (such as race, religion, gender, age, or sexual orientation) • 68 per cent said they believed 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 union called on the Mayor of London to show a lead by committing to bring these cleaners in-house when the contract ends in 2022. RMT general secretary Mick Cash said that the penny was dropping that the rampant outsourcing of cleaning workers was a massive problem. “For decades, cleaners have been called ‘non-core’, non- essential workers and outsourced on that basis, condemned to low pay and insecurity. Well now, we’re seeing the cost of that folly. “Cleaners are and always were essential workers, integral to the running of our railways, asked to put their lives on the line during a global pandemic but treated like second class citizens. “The government should use its clout on the railways to throw this failed experiment into reverse and people like Sadiq Khan, who has the power to bring 2,000 Underground cleaners in house when ABM’s contract ends in 2022, should show a lead and make that commitment today. “Praise and warm words are easy but real justice takes action,” he said. BRING CLEANERS IN-HOUSE I n a joint statement ASLEF, RMT and TSSA have warned of the “increased risks” of reducing social distancing on public transport at the current time. The warning came as the two metre social-distancing rule was replaced with a "one-metre plus" rule, meaning people should stay at least two metres apart where possible, but otherwise should remain at least 1m apart while taking steps to reduce the risk of transmission, such as wearing face coverings. ASLEF general secretary Mick Whelan, RMT senior assistant general secretary Mick Lynch and TSSA general secretary Manuel Cortes said that the government’s own advisors had said that reducing social distancing to one metre would significantly increase the chance of infection by up to 30 times whilst the chances of Covid – 19 spreading are increased in confined spaces such as train carriages and stations (1). "It is also the case that the threat of infection from the virus has not changed significantly whilst at the same time we are already seeing increases in rail and tube use which may further rise after July 4. "Policing two metre social distancing on public transport is already challenging and reducing it to one metre will make it almost impossible. In these circumstances diluting social distancing on public transport could increase risks so we cannot support a change to the social distancing measurement at the current time. "We wish to see a safe and sustainable increase in public transport as soon as possible but not at the expense of worker and passenger safety,” the statement said. RMT also called for workers to be treated with respect as the new requirement for passengers to wear face masks on public transport in England came into force. The union also said that it had received assurances that Police, and not transport staff, will be responsible for enforcing the legislation and the union has advised its members to avoid conflict situations with any passengers who refuse to wear face coverings. Mick Lynch said that the union has been campaigning for face masks to be made compulsory for passengers on public transport and it is right that the Police and not transport staff will be responsible for enforcing this new legislation. “We have advised our members to avoid conflict situations in the event of any passengers refusing to wear face coverings. “We are calling for transport workers to be treated with respect, including remembering the essential role they are playing as key workers during the pandemic,” he said. (1) Last month the government’s chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance told the Health Select Committee that “The risk at one metre is about 10 to 30 times higher than the risk at two metres, so social distancing is an important part of this”. Jonathan Van-Tam, the Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England, previously said the virus appears to spread less easily outdoors because of the ventilation factor. At the end of April, he told the daily Downing Street briefing that “there is a definite truism across all of the science literature that ventilation is a most critical part of reducing transmission from respiratory viruses”. TRANSPORT UNIONS WARN OF RISKS IN REDUCING SOCIAL DISTANCING