SOUTHEASTERN BOSSES GET FREE TRAVEL WHILE DENYING IT TO CLEANERS

B osses at the publicly owned Southeastern Trains have been accused of ‘rank hypocrisy’ after it was revealed that they get free rail travel while denying it to the cleaning staff who work to ensure that Southeastern trains are safe and hygienic to use. The admission was made by Rail Minister Wendy Morton in response to questions from Labour MP Bell Ribeiro Addy who has campaigned in support of the Southeastern Trains cleaners, currently outsourced to Churchill and engaged in a prolonged dispute on services across London and the South East. In her answer, Ms Morton admits that in addition to the Board getting free travel during working hours, the Managing Director of South Eastern trains Ltd, Steve White is also entitled to ‘free rail travel and rail staff facilities at all times’. In a separate development a group of MPs from affected constituencies in London and the Southeast has written to the directors of all the companies involved in what is believed to the largest dispute ever involving rail cleaners. In a letter sent to the bosses of Churchill, Go-Ahead Group, Soho Square Capital, HS1, Eurostar and Southeastern Trains Ltd, the MPs urge the directors to make a fair pay offer to meet the cost of living crisis and end the scandal of not paying sick pay to rail cleaners.  RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said that RMT members had been driven to strike action in pursuit for a fair pay rise to meet the cost -of-living crisis and free travel has been a key demand for these heroic, low paid cleaners who have risked their lives during the pandemic. “Now we learn that their bosses at publicly-owned Southeastern have been travelling free on trains cleaned by people who have to pay. This is rank hypocrisy and they need to put an end to it by granting free travel to their low-paid cleaning staff. “It’s time the bosses of all these companies listened to the growing number of voices calling on them to come back to the table with properly funded offers to end the scandal of low pay and exploitation of cleaning staff,” he said. RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: april 2022 :: RMTnews 6 H eroic cleaners are being left behind again as Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) from day one is to be scrapped in Covid rules shake up. RMT criticised new measures which will mean those isolating with Covid will not get SSP from day one. New government guidelines mean that people taking sick leave will only be entitled to SSP from day four. Several groups of cleaners that are engaged in industrial disputes fighting for the right to paid sick leave by the company. They will be severely impacted by this change and will have to make the bleak choice between working while ill or slipping further into poverty if they stay at home. RMT has taken strike action at cleaning companies Churchill and Atalian Servest over wages and the refusal of bosses to pay company sickness remuneration. RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said that the government’s living with Covid strategy was a case of cross your fingers and hope for the best. “Our cleaner members who are bravely taking strike action for company sick pay will be further pushed into poverty by this decision. “No one should have to make the appalling choice of whether to pass on their illness to people at work or to lose money when they live week by week. “The government is effectively running these contracts now so it can sort this tomorrow by mandating these companies to pay our cleaning grades proper occupational sick pay,” he said. SOUTHEASTERN BOSSES GET FREE TRAVEL WHILE DENYING IT TO CLEANERS MARCHING: Cleaners marching to Go-Ahead headquarters while on strike last month GOVERNMENT HITS CLEANERS OVER SICK PAY