Low-paid cleaners employed by the Carlisle company on the TransPennine Express (TPE) contract protested outside TPE’s office in Manchester as part of their strike on 30th November.
The cleaners work for extremely low wages often in freezing cold conditions, so much so that they said it was warmer on the 8am protest than it had been on the station last night!
Carlisle cleaners are in the RMT union and determined to achieve fair pay. The victory won through strike action by RMT members on the Virgin cleaning contract shows this is possible. Clearly TPE are worried. While cleaners leafleted the passing public, management tried giving out a counter-leaflet to people working in the office block which TPE is part of!
Manchester cleaners were joined by colleagues from elsewhere in the north-west. There was also a protest outside Warrington Central rail station: “Once again Warrington Central station was the site of TPE cleaners taking action against attacks on their pay and conditions this past Friday. Not only were they demanding safer working environments and better pay, they actively argued for the renationalisation under democratic control of our railways. Spirits were high and we saw great reaction of support from the public.”
Report & photo: Hugh Caffrey & Adam Hemsley, NW NSSN & Socialist Party, Manchester.
