Merseyrail cleaners to protest against outsourcing

The cleaners have fought a long-running campaign for fair pay and to be brought in house, winning support from across the City Region. Last year Seven MPs, the Mayor of Liverpool and councillors from Labour, Lib Dems, Greens and Tories put their names to a letter calling on Merseyrail’s Managing Director to bring the cleaners in-house.

Merseyrail’s contract with Mitie ends in 2023 and the union is calling on Merseyrail to take this opportunity to finally put an end to the outsourcing of cleaning. 

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: “Outsourcing is a scourge on Britain’s labour market, an obscene way in which wealthy companies rip workers off and pass the buck between each other. Cleaners are essential workers' and they should be directly employed. Liverpool politicians have made their views known about this and with the end of Mitie’s contract in sight Merseyrail now has a golden opportunity to put an end to this shameful episode and do the right thing. This protest will call on them to work with us and make it happen.”

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Notes for editors:

The protest will assemble at Liverpool Central Station at 5pm.

Last year a cross party alliance of Merseyside politicians wrote to Merseyrail calling on them to insource the cleaners:

Merseyside politicians unite to slam Merseyrail’s treatment of heroic cleaners - rmt