Before Christmas, Ken Livingstone promised to pay the “‘London Living Wage” of £7.20 an hour to Underground cleaners when he took over Metronet. Unsurprisingly, he has not delivered. Transport for London has delayed taking over Metronet and Livingstone has gone quiet about the pay rise.
Therefore cleaners in both the RMT and the T&G are pressing ahead with plans for a strike. Ballot papers will go out in March and cleaners should strike in April - hopefully alongside other Tube workers fighting casualisation and in time to embarrass Livingstone before London elections on May 1.