Intitial train cleaners striking for a living wage, St Pancras station, London 16.2.12, photo by Suzanne Beishon (Click to enlarge: opens in new window)
Train cleaners strike for a living wage
‘£8.30 – London Living Wage!’ was the chant of the Initial cleaners taking strike action today outside St Pancras station in London.
The cleaners, living in one of the most expensive cities in the world and working on Eurostar, domestic trains and station areas are paid as little as £6.50 per hour, well below the figure for the ‘London living wage’.
Many of the striking workers have watched Network Rail bosses, who subcontract cleaning to Initial, haul in massive salaries and bonuses whilst the cleaners haven’t seen a pay rise in four years.
On top of this they receive no extra pay for working bank holidays or weekends, no sick pay and have no pension scheme.
Every worker on the picket line enthusiastically signed up to support the electoral challenge of the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC), pleased to see their union, the RMT, linking with other trade unionists to stand up and put an alternative to the pro-cuts politicians that encourage companies like Initial to suck profits out of working class people.
