RMT DECLARES CLEANERS’ DISPUTES

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: july/august 2022 :: RMTnews 8 The union is balloting and re- balloting cleaners on contracts across the rail sector in pursuit of claims for £15 an hour, sick pay and travel facilities. The companies to be balloted for the first time are Atalian Servest on LNER, SWR and GWR and Mitie on Network Rail Stations North and South and Bidvest Noonan on NTL, TPE and c2c. The contracts to be re- balloted are Churchill and GTR trains and stations and South East Trains and Network Rail HS1 Stations and Eurostar. RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said that cleaners needed to the recognised for the essential role they played during the pandemic and now. “The dirty truth about rail cleaning is that 80 per cent of cleaners are outsourced to private companies and over 60 per cent were struggling to make ends meet even before the cost-of-living crisis. “Cleaners get no sick pay, they get no travel facilities and they are overworked and underpaid. “In contrast company profits are soaring, Atalian Servest paid £16 million dividends to their French parent company in the last two years and their highest paid director got a 26 per cent pay rise. “Bidvest Noonan’s profits were up 32 per cent in 2021, they paid a £14.6 million dividends and their highest paid Director got a 68 per cent pay rise. “For the outsourcing fat cats, Covid has been a chance to grow their business, make bigger profits and award higher Executive pay packets,” he said. RMT has declared a dispute on the Tube and balloting for strike action after it emerged that heroic tube cleaners have been condemned to three more years of outsourcing following what the union described as “a stitch up behind closed doors”. In a letter to the London mayor Sadiq Khan, Mick Lynch condemned Transport for Department officials for renewing a contract worth in the region of £450 million in secret using Chair’s Action between meetings. The decision was taken on March 24 and only became clear in papers published retrospectively. In his manifesto, mayor Khan had promised to instruct TfL to review its cleaning contract with ABM, including an assessment of extending the free travel cleaners receive whilst at work to their journeys to and from work.” The decision leaves the cleaners with nothing and TfL said that it was still hasn’t taken a decision on free travel. In the letter, the union expressed shock and disgust at the decision to extend the outsourced cleaning contract with ABM with no published paperwork. "This is deeply shocking and raises serious questions about TfL officials and the functioning of the Board. It also raises serious questions about your role. “Who is running TfL? The democratically elected mayor who is chair of TfL or the Commissioner of TfL who the Mayor appoints? It appears to us that unelected officers are now in charge of the capital’s transport system. “The cleaners who you are responsible for deserve better than this and I give notice that the RMT will be declaring a dispute and balloting our cleaning members for industrial action,” he said. RMT DECLARES CLEANERS’ DISPUTES Union launches national campaign for £15 an hour, sick pay and travel facilities for cleaner members t ve