Eurostar cleaners take a stand against poverty pay

16 February "What do we want-Fair pay! When do we want it?-Now!" and'£8.30 - London Living Wage!' were the chants of the Initial cleaners taking strike action today outside St Pancreas station. The cleaners are members of the European Passenger Services RMT branch.

Initial cleaners living in one of the most expensive cities in the world and working on the Eurostar, domestic trains and cleaning station areas are paid as little as £6.50 per hour, well below the figure for the London living wage.

Many of the workers taking strike action have watched Network Rail bosses, who subcontract cleaning to Initial, haul in massive salaries and bonuses whilst they haven't seen a pay rise in 4 years. On top of this they receive no extra pay for working bank holidays or weekends, no sick pay and have no pension scheme.

However not content with imposing these poverty wages on hard working cleaners Initial bosses are allegedly going to new depths in their quest to squeeze wages and pump up profits.

 
In the letter to Network Rail yesterday, RMT General Secretary Bob Crow says outlined the RMT's concerns regarding Initial's future plans.

“It has come to my attention that Initial intends to use “in-house” agency staff to replace their permanent staff in order to try to break the strike. The agency is called AGS and it operates from the same Brunswick House address as Initial and seems to be a subsidiary of the company.

According to our information, the agency staff are mostly Bulgarian and Romanian. When signing up with the company they are forced to register themselves there and then as Self-Employed with Limited Company status. This results in them having no entitlement to holidays or other UK employment benefits and allows the company to get round the agency worker regulations.

It is our firm belief that if these allegations are proved correct, vulnerable workers will be exploited by Initial to break the strike. Rather than doing this they should be seeking a negotiated settlement with RMT. We demand an urgent investigation by yourselves into these allegations.”

The picketers a mix of British, Eastern European and African workers combined the traditions of their own labour movements to create a unique atmosphere at the picket line.
The picket itself must have been the noisiest in London in recent years. Vuvuzelas and whistles created a deafening din that could be heard by construction workers across the road, defeating even the drone of power tools and hammers.

Green and red RMT flags were a colourful sight for passing motorists and pedestrians, many of whom honked horns or gave clenched fist salutes in support. The picket was fronted by a long red banner reading "Low pay-Now Way. Stand together!" and flanked by banners from the Euro Passenger Services Branch and the National Shop Stewards Network.