Defend Victimised Cleaners

From General Secretary Bob Crow
Branches will be aware that we have been in dispute with Carlisle in our campaign to seek drastic improvements to pay and conditions of our Security and Cleaning staff working on the DLR contract. This matter has been discussed by the General Grades Committee and the following decision has been taken: -

"While Mayor Boris Johnson is basking in the spotlight at the Tory Party conference he is light years away from the harsh realities of life faced by the cleaners" - Bob Crow

TRANSPORT union RMT, along with supporters from the community, will be stepping up the demand next week that Mayor Boris Johnson increases the London living wage to £10 per hour, benefiting cleaners and other low-paid workers.

Campaigners will demonstrate outside the GLA Headquarters on Wednesday 17th October at 0900 hours, to call for better pay and conditions for transport cleaners.

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We have set up a Facebook Page for the RMT National Campaign for Cleaners. Like the page to show your support and keep up to date with campaign news.

We note that RMT currently has at least eight ongoing disputes with cleaning employers with ‘live’ ballot mandates, with issues heading towards disputes in other companies as well. We aim to hold co-ordinated strike action to pursue these disputes, perhaps a 48-hour strike in October or November.

We instruct the General Secretary to obtain as a matter of urgency reports from all relevant lead officers as to the feasibility of this in the disputes with companies for which they have responsibility, and to place responses in front of us as they are received, and in any case within 21 days.

We note the reply from Initial, that this is a group wide initiative from Initial Facilities to implement the Kronos Time and Attendance System into all contracts by end of 2012, with both biometric and telephone systems in operation. We also note the views of our representatives, who strongly oppose this move, rightly seeing it as an attack on their civil liberties and a weapon for management to use to victimise our members.

We therefore instruct the General Secretary to:
1. Urgently contact Initial management demanding a meeting to discuss our objections.

RMT is organising to recruit more members who work as Cleaners and Canteen staff. We have a ballot coming up for ISS cleaners who's pay and benefits are woefully low for the hard work they do. At Sodexo the RMT is working hard to get recognition for the RMT,

This all depends on getting as many people signed up as possible. Remember cleaners and canteen staff can currently join the RMT for £1 a week.

There are small group of reps and activists who are attempting to actively recruit cleaners and canteen staff in the london transport region.

Sodexo canteen workers have put in for a recognition agreement, their management have agreed dependant us on getting 50% +1 members, if we do not get the required number of members we will be barred from going for recognition again for 3 years.

Cleaners are to be balloted shortly due to a number of issues including an olympic recognition bonus which makes our task even more important.

As ISS Hasn't Respond To RMT's Call For a Better Deal For Cleaners, An Industrial Ballot Will Be Initiated

The General Grades Committee has made the following decision on our claims for ISS cleaners:

Strike action by Initial cleaners at St Pancras International kicked off at 6am this morning with pickets out in force and rail union RMT reporting fantastic support from the public in the fight against poverty pay. Around seventy pickets and supporters have brought horns, drums and a carnival atmosphere to the London Eurostar terminal.

The workers have not had a pay increase for maintaining the opulent Eurostar terminal in four years and have been offered a pathetic 13 p taking them to £ 6.76 an hour, miles short of Boris Johnsons London living wage of £8.30 an hour.