Rail union RMT announced on 1 February that in a ballot of staff working for London Underground’s Trainpeople agency contract, members have voted unanimously for strike action.
The ballot resulted from the termination of a deal that will make dozens of staff unemployed in spite of Agency Worker Regulations that are supposed to protect the rights of agency staff.
London Underground (LU) inherited a contract with Trainpeople in 2007. In breach of agreements with unions, LU continued to use agency staff in its uniform while Trainpeople paid them as little as £6.75 per hour. The agency workers joined the RMT and campaigned successfully for equal rights with permanent staff. However, LU then terminated the contract without warning, leaving 33 staff facing the immediate prospect of losing their jobs.
RMT general secretary Bob Crow commented: “These staff have shown their determination to fight for justice in this unanimous vote for strike action. The RMT executive will now consider this result as we move the campaign forwards to support the workers. We want permanent and direct employment for these low paid workers.
“This dispute makes a mockery of the regulations that are supposed to protect agency staff but which cynical employers can find their way around, with the connivance of both the EU and the British government.”
Mac Urata, ITF inland transport secretary, added: “It is appalling that these workers have been treated so callously by London Underground. We fully support the RMT’s campaign to win justice for them.”
A video about the dispute can be seen here.
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