CHURCHILL BATTLE

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: march 2022 :: RMTnews 6 Hundreds of rail cleaners were out in force on picket lines this month in the biggest ever coordinated wave of strike action in the fight for pay justice. The cleaners, who are all employed by the outsourcing company Churchill and have worked throughout the Covid- 19 crisis to clean trains and stations on Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern, Southeastern, Eurostar and HS1 services, walked out for 24-hour strike action in the largest such action by rail cleaners yet. Turnout on the picket lines was fantastic, with pickets at Kings Cross Station, Eurostar Temple Mills, Brighton Station, Hastings, St Pancras Station, Kings Lynn Station, Victoria Station, Cannon Street, Dartford, East Croydon, Kings Cross, Brighton, Dover Priory, Grove Park, Ramsgate and many more besides. Hundreds also descended London for a mass rally outside the Houses of Parliament where they were joined by a host of MPs including Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour MPs Ian Lavery, Apsana Begum, Richard Burgon, Grahame Morris, Andy McDonald, Kim Johnson, Rachel Hopkins, Nadia Whittome, Tony Lloyd, Chair of RMT’s Parliamentary Group Ian Mearns and Shadow Transport Minister Sam Tarry. Messages of support were sent from many other MPs on social media and 24 MPs have also signed an Early Day Motion in Parliament supporting the Churchill cleaners’ campaign: Fair pay and conditions for rail cleaners. After the rally, the Churchill cleaners marched on the Headquarters of the Go-Ahead Group who control the franchise on the Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern franchises for a short rally demanding that Go-Ahead meet RMT representatives. RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said that the support from Churchill cleaners for the action was extraordinary and CHURCHILL BATTLE Biggest ever rail cleaners strike rock solid in fight for pay justice