Workplace Report March 2020

Bargaining news

Victories over low pay


Rail union RMT has secured a massive victory against low pay and exploitative conditions on Britain’s railways. 


In a groundbreaking deal, the union secured an agreement with Network Rail, which will see cleaners across their whole supply chain paid the real, voluntary Living Wage from the 1 April. The deal will benefit thousands of staff on contracts cleaning Network Rail-managed stations and estates.


Staff in London will be guaranteed a minimum of £10.75 an hour and staff outside the capital will earn no less than £9.30 an hour.


Meanwhile, at Reading Hospital, cleaners, caterers, security guards and porters are celebrating having their pay and conditions brought into line with NHS staff and the negotiated Agenda for Change agreement. 


As a result of a hard-fought UNISON campaign, outsourced cleaning company ISS has agreed to move around 60 staff onto health service pay rates with immediate effect. 


This will result in a considerable uplift for the ISS staff, who are among the lowest paid in the entire health service, and, even better, the change will be backdated to April 2019. This will mean an average extra lump sum of around £500 for struggling workers.


https://www.rmt.org.uk/news/rmt-secures-massive-low-pay-victory

https://southeast.unison.org.uk/news/article/2020/02/stunning-victory-iss-staff-prospect-park-hospital