RMT justice for Mitie cleaners campaign events this week

Rail Union RMT’s campaign for Justice for Mitie Cleaners has been gaining tremendous support, in just three weeks over 60,000 people have signed RMT's petition calling for a Real Living Wage for a group of crucial staff who do some of the dirtiest jobs on our railways.

The latest development in the campaign, as political support continues to roll in, has been a motion put down in the Scottish Parliament by Elaine Smith MSP which has the support of a cross-section of MSPs.

The Scottish Parliament motion can be found here http://bit.ly/2jYixko

Network Rail has outsourced the work of cleaning many of their stations to a company called Mitie Facilities Management, part of the Mitie Group plc. Mitie Group paid nearly £49 million to its shareholders in dividends in the last five years. But it won’t pay its cleaners the Real Living Wage.

The leafleting campaigns outside the Network Rail Managed Stations on stations where cleaning has been contracted out to Mitie will take place this week:

*Outside MANCHESTER PICCADILLY (Piccadilly approach) on MONDAY 2nd September 2019 - 16.30 to 18.00

*Outside LEEDS CITY STATION (Aire Street/ Wellington Street entrance) on TUESDAY 3rd September 2019 - 16.30 to 18.00

*Outside BIRMINGHAM NEW STREET (near the tram stop) on WEDNESDAY 4th September 2019 - 16.30 to 18.00

The leafleting events highlight the fact that passengers using Manchester Piccadilly, Leeds City, Birmingham New Street, Liverpool Lime Street, Glasgow Central and Edinburgh Waverley are passing through stations that are cleaned, day and night, by people who are surviving on poverty pay.

A recent survey carried out by RMT of Mitie workers came back with 50% of respondents saying they struggled to make ends meet. The union believes that a multi-million pound public company like Network Rail should not be allowing its contractors to pay poverty wages.

The petition can be found at https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/pay-the-living-wage-to-mitie-cleaners-now

General Secretary, Mick Cash said:

“RMT’s campaign demanding a Real Living Wage for Mitie cleaners is gaining momentum with political and public support now rolling in.

"That support can be seen by the fact we now have over 60,000 signatures on the petition in support of this fight for pay and workplace justice, along with growing political backing. It is time for Mitie and Network Rail to end this disgraceful exploitation and take urgent action. 

The campaign will be coming to Manchester, Leeds and Birmingham this week and we are expecting the same enthusiastic support that we have received elsewhere.

“It is a scandal that the staff employed by outsourcing giant Mitie who clean stations for Network Rail, doing some of the dirtiest work in the rail industry at all hours of the night and day, are struggling to make ends meet on poverty pay.

“A company that can pay nearly £49 million to its shareholders in dividends in the last five years for doing nothing can afford to pay its cleaners a decent wage for the work that they do.

“Mitie’s cleaners have had enough and are fighting for a real Living Wage, but they need the help of the travelling public and I would urge passengers to sign the petition and help us to persuade Mitie and Network Rail to put an end to this scandal.

“RMT will be doing all it can to support Mitie cleaners, cleaning up the vomit, human waste and the rest of the filth at our stations, in their fight to make this wealthy company do the right thing and pay its workers a Real Living Wage.”

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