RMT lambasts TfL for failing to insource cleaners

Tube union RMT, has lambasted Transport for London (TfL) for awarding a 5-year cleaning contract to Mitie instead of taking outsourced workers in-house.

TfL still outsourcing

The appalling decision means that RMT members working as cleaners will not enjoy the same terms and conditions as directly employed staff on London Underground.

RMT has estimated that Mitie paid out £41.5m to its investment bank shareholders in the last financial year. And that it has profit margins of 11% on average on contracts it acquires on the railway and London Underground.

Mitie has also paid its chief executive, Phil Bentley, £20.5m over the past two years.

RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey said:

Rewarding highly profitable companies with a dreadful track record of paying poor wages and not giving staff decent employment conditions is a disgrace.

This is an example of the corporate capture of TfL bosses who are more interested in appeasing their mates in big business, rather than looking after tube staff and passengers’ best interests.

Mayor Sadiq Khan has told us that he will insource cleaners on London Underground.

However, at this moment, he is failing to deliver that promise and needs to carry out his democratic mandate to deliver for transport workers and passengers in London.

Labour has promised the biggest wave of insourcing in a generation and it is now time for a Labour Mayor to take tube cleaners back in house without delay.

Featured image via the Canary