Mick Lynch called on the Mayor of London to 'end the injustice of explotation of contracted out staff'
Workers on the DLR service in London took 48-hour strike action over the weekend after rejecting a pay offer of 1.8%, which their union, RMT, blasted as ‘insulting’ and a worker labelled ‘inhumane’.
Cleaners, security, travel safe and revenue protection staff walked out to demand better pay and conditions, as RMT said the workers are underpaid compared to others in equivalent TfL roles.
The striking contracted-out staff working for the company ISS have also not been told whether they will get access to free travel, which London Mayor Sadiq Khan already promised for all contracted out staff across TfL.
RMT have called out the exploitation of contracted-out staff and demanded that Sadiq Khan bring the workers back in–house.
Speaking at the weekend strike, one worker told SE London Peoples Assembly that he did not have a single day off throughout the pandemic as staff like him ‘did our best’, and that the current pay rise on offer is not fair.
“There was no obstruction of DLR during Covid, and there was no appreciation of that. Offering us 1.8% is totally inhumane,” said the DLR worker.
“They need to uplift our wages because this is not fair.”
DLR workers are calling for management to get around the table and listen to them.
Mick Lynch, RMT General Secretary called ISS a multimillion-pound company ‘whose arrogance knows no bounds’.
Lynch said: “They already pay staff poorly and with inflation rapidly increasing an offer of 1.8% shows they do not care one jot for their staff.
“RMT will continue their campaign for pay justice for these workers who are some of the most exploited in the transport system.
“Ultimately Mayor Sadiq Khan needs to end the injustice of exploitation of contracted out staff by bringing these workers back in house as soon as possible.”
A spokesperson for ISS said: “We are disappointed that this action is going ahead despite our pay offer, which is in line with the London Living Wage and the terms of our contract.
“We value the contribution of every ISS team member. We can also confirm that cleaners on TfL contracts employed by ISS will get free transport across the network and we will be in touch with the RMT about this soon.”
Hannah Davenport is trade union reporter at Left Foot Forward
(Photo credit: RMT / Twitter)
Left Foot Forward’s trade union reporting is supported by the Barry Amiel and Norman Melburn Trust
To reach hundreds of thousands of new readers and to make the biggest impact we can in the next general election, we need to grow our donor base substantially.
That's why in 2024, we are seeking to generate 150 additional regular donors to support Left Foot Forward's work.
We still need another 124 people to donate to hit the target. You can help. Donate today.