Workers' Liberty

On the morning of the first cleaners' strike, members of the socialist feminist activist network Feminist Fightback turned up at 55 Broadway, armed with feather dusters, brooms and mops.

The first cleaners' strike saw 100% solid action at Morden depot, with agency staff joining the union and the picket line, swelling its numbers to about 20.

For ages, RMT has argued that it is the best union for cleaners, saying that it makes sense for all workers in the same industry to be in one union, whether or not their service has been privatised.

While not all London Underground cleaners are women, cleaning has traditionally been perceived and undervalued as 'women's work'.

Tubeworker believes that anyone in this country should have the right to live and work here.

RMT cleaners have voted by a massive 99+% for strikes, with a very creditable turnout of 40%.

Whilst many RMT activists are working very hard to support the cleaners' strike ballot, it seems to have attracted a sniffy attitude from a small number of people in the union.

Just when you thought the cleaning contractors could sink no lower, ICS has sacked Hammersmith depot cleaner Michael Bonsu for wearing a hat.

RMT has finally announced actual dates for balloting cleaners for strike action to demand a living wage.

After several faltering starts, the strike for the London Living Wage for cleaners is planned to go ahead again.

RMT is apparently moving closer to organising a strike of cleaners demanding better pay and conditions.

The ISS cleaning company, which has many cleaning contracts on the Underground, has started checking cleaners' National Insurance numbers. They aim to root out people who are working without the correct papers, and cleaners could face instant dismissal if a problem is found.

Saturday morning, and a 'customer' decides to deposit a poo on the stairs at Temple station.

The RMT has announced a 'victory'. Cleaners on lines formerly maintained by Metronet will be paid £7.20 p/h when TfL takes over the contract.

ISS cleaners on the Northern line have been messed around for months.

Many have no fixed station, don't know where they'll be working from one day to the next. They are forced to work on stations where they haven't been familiarised. They are losing out on the stability (as well as opportunity to get organised!) that having a regular station would provide.

Ken Livingstone has a habit of trumpeting his commitment to a decent living wage for Tube cleaners. Problem is, they ... er ... don't get a decent living wage. Ken's excuse? He doesn't have the power to impose decent wages on the cowboys who hold the contracts.

So Tubeworker was intrigued to read this little snippet on Unison's website ...

Cleaners at Morden depot have prevented their management imposing anti-social new rosters.

The cleaners' union reps did not agree to the new roster, but ISS went ahead and imposed it anyway. The cleaners refused to work it, and management threatened to send them home. But the cleaners stood their ground, and RMT activists from other grades turned up at the depot at their signing-on time to offer support.

In Queen's Park depot, chemicals are used to clean graffiti off trains in safe area 'A', but not in area 'B', where there is live electric current. It's a simple rule to protect cleaners' health and safety! But managemenst would rather order them to risk their safety by cleaning trains in B.

At Upminster, the cleaners' mess room is cold and has no facilities. At Ealing Broadway, the mess room is more like a cupboard where you can't even stand up straight! At Euston, the room is so hot and airless you can't breathe ... and there are other stations where cleaners have no mess room at all!

It seems that some cleaning supervisors think they can pore over the station's Visitors Register to check exactly what time the cleaners are coming and going.

At Angel station, a Station Supervisor accused a cleaner of neglecting their duties. The cleaner got an RMT rep, who proved that there was little basis for his allegations.

Now, the next time the cleaner goes in with the union to see management, it will not be a disciplinary hearing against the cleaner, but an investigation into whether the supervisor harassed the cleaner.

At Ealing Broadway station, the cleaners have no mess room. They have to hide in the toilets to rest and eat their meals.

And yet their management, rather than sort them out some decent facilities, prefer to clamp down. When the toilets have been busy, cleaners have been seen resting on trains or around the station during their breaks, and management are disciplining them – in one case photographing someone taking a breather and snitching them up.

• £7.20 London Living Wage NOW

• 28 days holiday minimum NOW
• Free travel NOW
• Cleaners to be directly employed

Various big cheeses will be gathering for a conference called 'London: the most successful world city?' Come and tell them about the disgrace of a 'world city's' railways being cleaned by people on poverty wages and appalling conditions.

A group of cleaners and other union activists met on Saturday to take stock of how the cleaners' campaign is going and decide our next steps.

The union's success in stopping 200 redundancies from ISS has been followed by a well attended demonstration outside the mayor's office for a 'Living Wage Now!'. There were new cleaners at the demo, showing that the campaigning is growing. The story also made the national news.

Cleaners on the Underground often experience aggressive bullying from their supervisors. No worker should have to experience such degrading treatment as part of their job. It further highlights the lack of respect that cleaning companies have for their workers.

Cleaners in the RMT on London Underground are gaining the confidence to stand up to supervisors who demand unreasonable extra duties.

One ISS cleaner was asked to work at three different stations in the same day, instead of at her own regular station. She refused, saying that she was tired of being bullied and rang the RMT to get their assurance that they would support her.

• London Living Wage NOW

• 28 days holiday minimum NOW
• Cleaners to be directly employed

Protest on Wedesday April 4th at 9.30am at City Hall, The Queen's Walk, More London SE1 2AA. Nearest station: London Bridge.

ISS has today issued instructions to Northern Line station cleaners that are as absurd as they are oppressive. The cowboy contractor has told half the cleaners that they must take two weeks holiday from tomorrow, leaving the other half to clean 3 or 4 stations each.

Following a threat of strike action by ISS cleaners, ISS have said that they will not make the planned 200 - or any - compulsory redundancies. This clearly shows the strength that cleaners have gained since being part of a union, particularly the RMT, who used its all-grades strength to threaten station closures and bring trains to a halt on health and safety grounds if the cleaners went on strike.

Fightback against ISS redundancies
Mass Meeting - Monday 5th Feb

Around 40 people attended the meeting to plan the fightback against ISS cleaning company's intended 200 compulsory redundancies this month. Pat Sikorski (RMT Assistant General Secretary) gave the background: what the the RMT has done so far (sent 3 letters demanding meetings with Tubelines, RMT and the Mayor's office, held demonstrations, got an Early Day Motion sponsored by the RMT parliamentary group). Bob Crow said that this has not been enough so far and that it is time to strike to save these jobs. Bob sounded determined to fight and emphasised that the whole union will be in support of the cleaners if they take action.