John Laing recognises RMT union

Open-access content Friday 26th August 2011 — updated 1.53pm, Tuesday 5th May 2020

RMT ballots members on Mitie train contract
Mitie train cleaners vote to strike

2 September 2011

John Laing has recognised the RMT union on the London Overground.

The RMT (National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers) said it had been working on a long-term campaign to win better terms for transport cleaners. The cleaners have seen their pay squeezed and working conditions worsen since rail privatisation more than 15 years ago, according to a statement by RMT.

FM World contacted John Laing but no-one was available for comment.

The organisation won bargaining rights for staff working at depots at Acton, Gospel Oak, New Cross Gate and Willesden. It came after a ballot was carried out under Central Arbitration Committee rules in which John Laing refused to enter into a voluntary agreement.

“This is another major milestone in our campaign to win better pay, conditions and rights for
a group of workers who have been hammered by privatisation," said RMT general secretary
Bob Crow.

“Our reps at John Laing deserve massive credit for a determined organising campaign that began only in March, supported by organisers and activists from across the RMT family.

“This has been a textbook campaign and the whole team should be congratulated for showing what can be done, but it remains a shameful reality that privateers and even public bodies have taken full advantage of fragmentation and subcontracting to drive down pay and conditions.”