In-house cleaning trial to launch

TfL has announced the launch of a trial involving cleaners on the Victoria line being seconded to in-house roles.

This is a step forward. RMT has fought for the insourcing of cleaning, and other outsourced contracts, for many years. Over the past five years, we have achieved two of our three principal demands: travel passes for outsourced workers and a sick pay scheme for cleaners. This is testament to the dogged work of RMT cleaner activists, and their supporters in other grades, over years of campaigning.

We need to push for more.

Cleaners are remaining on their Mitie terms and conditions, rather than transferring onto TfL conditions. Insourcing must mean improvements to workers' terms and conditions, not merely a change of employer. As Mitie, the current outsourced contractor, is involved in the trial, there's an inbuilt incentive for it to "fail", as it's in Mitie's interests to retain the contract. There is also a risk that TfL may ultimately fudge the issue by creating an “in-house subsidiary” to handle the cleaning contract, rather than simply employing cleaners directly.

RMT must continue campaigning, and consider industrial action, to demand real insourcing.