The Mayor's much-vaunted 'fares freeze' only applies to some fares, so passengers using Travelcards have once again been hit with a new year increase (or 'change', as TfL's website euphemistically calls it) of an average 3.1%.
That's bad news for our passengers, but it is also bad news for some of our workmates. Cleaners are not only paid less than LUL staff but also do not get a staff pass. So they have started the new year with more money going out and the same amount coming in.
A cleaner who works in zone 2 and lives in zone 4 is now pay £111.80 per month, or a shocking £1,341.60 per year, a massive chunk out of their derisory wages. Cleaners living further out and/or working further are paying even more.
This is an utter disgrace, even more so as it is happening under a Labour Mayor. Let's start the new year with a renewed fight for cleaners' rights. Whether you are a cleaner or not, basic solidarity means that this is a fight for all of us.
