CLEAN UP THE RAILWAYS!

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: june 2022 :: RMTnews 8 RMT cleaners at Churchills and Atalian Servest took strike action this month as part of the national campaign to win better wages and conditions and sick pay for their grade of transport worker. The rail industry often claims that Britain’s stations and trains are being cleaned more regularly, while the enhanced profile of cleaning has led to government praise for cleaners and extensive PR operations by companies aimed at persuading passengers that they are prioritising safety. Yet behind the PR and the praise, cleaning on the railways is overwhelmingly outsourced. More than 30 cleaning operations on the rail franchises and open access operations that had been outsourced while manufacturers of newer rolling stock like Alstom, Bombardier and Hitachi, who have contracts with the TOCs to maintain its vehicles, outsource the deep cleaning of rolling stock in their depots. This has created a low paid cleaning workforce and often leads to a thinning out of CLEAN UP THE RAILWAYS! Cleaners are taking strike action to demand decent wages, sick pay and the insourcing of services STRIKE: Churchill cleaners take action