Clean up your act: Rail Union to kick off fair pay campaign

Rail Union RMT will kick off a series of campaigning events, starting in Glasgow this morning, demanding Justice for Mitie cleaners on Network Rail Managed Stations ‎and urging the public to sign the petition supporting a living wage for a group of crucial staff who do some of the dirtiest jobs on our railways.

The campaign highlights the fact that passengers using Glasgow Central, Edinburgh Waverley, Liverpool Lime Street, Manchester Piccadilly, Leeds City or Birmingham New Street stations, are passing through stations that are cleaned, day and night, by people who are surviving on poverty pay.

Network Rail has outsourced the work of cleaning many of their stations to a company called Mitie Facilities Management, part of the Mitie Group plc.

Mitie Group paid nearly £49 million to its shareholders in dividends in the last five years – but it won’t pay its cleaners the Real Living Wage.

A recent survey carried out by RMT of Mitie workers came back with 50% of respondents saying they struggled to make ends meet. The union believes that a multi-million pound public company like Network Rail should not be allowing its contractors to pay poverty wages.

The petition can be found at:

https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/pay-the-living-wage-to-mitie-cleaners-now

*Outside GLASGOW CENTRAL (Gordon Street Entrance) on TUESDAY 20th August 2019 – 16.00 to 18.00

*Outside EDINBURGH WAVERLEY (Market Street Entrance) on WEDNESDAY 21st August 2019 – 16.30 to 18.00

*Outside LIVERPOOL LIME STREET (Main Entrance) on FRIDAY 30th August 2019 – 16.30 to 18.00

*Outside MANCHESTER PICCADILLY (Piccadilly approach) on MONDAY 2nd September 2019 – 16.30 to 18.00

*Outside LEEDS CITY STATION (Aire Street/ Wellington Street entrance) on TUESDAY 3rd September 2019 – 16.30 to 18.00

*Outside BIRMINGHAM NEW STREET (near the tram stop) on WEDNESDAY 4th September 2019 – 16.30 to 18.00

RMT General Secretary, Mick Cash said: “It is a scandal that the staff employed by outsourcing giant Mitie who clean stations for Network Rail, doing some of the dirtiest work in the rail industry at all hours of the night and day, are struggling to make ends meet and are paid below the Real Living Wage.

“A company that can pay nearly £49 million to its shareholders in dividends in the last five years for doing nothing can afford to pay its cleaners a decent wage for the work that they do.

“Mitie’s cleaners have had enough and are fighting for a real Living Wage, but they need the help of the travelling public and I would urge passengers to sign the petition and help us to persuade Mitie and Network Rail to put an end to this scandal.

“RMT will be doing all it can to support Mitie cleaners, cleaning up the vomit, human waste and the rest of the filth at our stations,  in their fight to make this wealthy company do the right thing and pay its workers a Real Living Wage.”

MITIE has responded with the following statement: “Mitie is fully supportive of initiatives to pay our staff the Real Living Wage.

“We know how difficult it is to maintain a decent standard of living and take care of a family on the National Living Wage, which is why we have worked with most of our top clients to move to the Real Living Wage.

“We are in regular dialogue with Network Rail regarding pay and conditions, and will do all we can to work closely with them, and with other stakeholders such as the Business Services Association and unions where appropriate, to obtain a move to the Real Living Wage for our staff.”